


School Of Bravery

by OwlsWingFlying



Series: Rise of Wizardry: The Series [3]
Category: Brave (2012), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Rise of the Guardians (2012), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:01:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 66,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26502571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OwlsWingFlying/pseuds/OwlsWingFlying
Summary: "It's tradition, mom says," Merida said scornfully. "It's just marriage, not the end of the world!" Merida repeated, feeling the infuriating stinging at the back of her eyes again. She was not afraid. She was not going to cry. (The Big Four. Hogwarts AU, Third Year. No Pairings.)
Series: Rise of Wizardry: The Series [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1924375
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	1. Touch The Sky

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to Year 3!

**Music:** "Touch The Sky" by Julie Fowlis.

_**School Of Bravery** _

**Chapter 1: Touch The Sky**

The sun shone brightly in the sky with a strong, stone castle silhouetted against the rolling green hills of Scotland and the inland sea that created the cove for the castle's ports. The green grass of the hills were shining a bright emerald and dew stuck to everything in the late morning. Green flags waved lazily in the wind at the top of the castle's towers, showcasing the Royal insignia of Scotland: The Dunbroch Clan emblem of a sword laid upon four circles. A symbol of unity between the Four Clans.

The rising sun shone through one of the small windows in the castle, and the light spread across a large room as if reaching for the bed where a figure lay sleeping. The sunlight reach up to fiery, wild hair like a child trying to tap their parent's shoulder, and light blue eyes blinked open.

Sitting up, Princess Merida of Clan Dunbroch looked at the window where the light streamed into her room, a grin slowly lighting up her face as she remembered that her princess lessons had been canceled for the whole day.

Leaping out of bed, Merida ran to get dressed and, on her way out, grabbed her bow and quiver from the table. She ran out of her room, thrilled to finally have a day completely to herself. She made it to the main room within three minutes and found that the stairs were crowded with busy people, trying to get a head start on the day by getting to work early.

Merida couldn't be stopped though, or slowed, for that matter. She found her path ahead was blocked by two men carry a heavy bucket between them, so she used their shoulders to help herself jump over the bucket and onto the first steps. She jumped up and slid along the wooden railing, grabbing an apple from a man's barrel-full along the way, and then jumped down to twirl out of the way of the other oncoming people. She stepped off the stairs and onto a candle stand that tipped over as she leaned her weight forward. The stand fell to the floor, but Merida hit the ground running.

She ran out the door and out to the stables where her mighty horse pranced excitedly at the sight of her. She ran towards him, skipping up the chopped wood that was piled against the side of his stall, and jumped onto his bare-back.

"Yah!" She called out, lighting kicking his sides. The horse could feel the princess's excitement and neighed as he shot off down the path, heading towards the castle gates. Down the worn path to the stone bridge, and then off into the forest they road, Merida readying her bow in her hand and shaking out her wild hair as it flew in the wind behind her.

Drawing her first arrow, Merida pulled and then loosed, letting the arrow fly and hit a hanging target perfectly in the center. She grinned at the feeling of freedom as her horse took the well-known path all on his own. She shook out her hair like a giant lions-mane and then reached for another arrow. She bit one, holding it between her teeth, as she rapidly drew another one.

Two posted targets that were tied firmly to trees were split with arrows at their centers as Merida road past, fast as a broomstick. Grabbing the arrow from her teeth, she loosed another perfect shot at a second hanging target that swung back and forth after the arrow hit it's mark.

She immediately reached for another as her horse took four large bounds past the hanging target and then leaped over a fallen log. The world slowed in Merida's mind, for just a moment, as she lined up the perfect shot at a broken tree branch. Her arrow joined a whole quiver full, stuck in the tree branch, and her horse landed perfectly, continuing on down the path, but Merida just grabbed another arrow and twisted on her horse's back to shoot the hanging target from before a second time.

"Whoohoo!" She screamed to the window and then laughed joyously as they raced through the trees.

She road until she reached the other side of the forest, coming out onto a great cliff-side with golden grass in every direction. Fog hung low over the mountain tops as the sun burned a fiery red in the afternoon. Merida dismounted, letting her horse have a rest after coming so far in such a short amount of time. He whickered happily and flopped down to roll in the grass.

Merida followed his example and flopped down, sitting with her legs crossed and her bow in her lap. A hawk soared high above in wide circle, obviously hunting for it's lunch, and Merida grinned, pulling a small knife from a side pocket in her quiver.

She began to carve lines into the side of her bow, biting her lips as she lost herself in the work. She might not be as artistic as Rapunzel or Hiccup, but she could widdle pretty well, and every great warrior had something meaningful carved into their weapon. Something to personalize it. Something that symbolized what they stood for.

A hawk, she decided, was perfect. A fierce bird of pray. A symbol of strength, freedom, and grace. She'd been looking for it all Summer, and after some thought she had finally come to the decision. Luckily the hawk above had reminded her to carve the animal into her bow while she had the chance. Who knew when her mother would let her be free for an entire day again? No, best to do it now while her time was her own. Besides, she could show it to dad when she returned to the castle that evening. He'd been the one encouraging her to do it anyways.

With the last stroke of the knife, Merida ran her thumb over the carving to clear away any access, and then smiled at her work. The hawk's call drew Merida's attention upwards. It was like it was looking straight at her. It dipped to the side suddenly, turning away and soaring off towards the distance.

Merida grinned. It was as if the hawk were leading her to the falls himself. Maybe Fate already knew she was meant for more than those useless gowns and princess lessons.

Merida road across the open valley, following the sun as it began to sink towards the tops of the mountains. Not even an hour later she came to the foot of the great water falls she had been traveling for.

She dismounted and approached the foot of the cliff. Grabbing on to whatever holds she could, she started climbing. The rock was tall, and the climb was treacherous, but she managed to grind her teeth and continue pulling herself upwards. More than half way to the top, when falling would mean certain death, Merida misplaced her hand and slipped. Her horse neighed worriedly at the bottom of the cliff, but Merida held tightly and recollected herself.

Climbing the rest of the way, Merida crawled to her feet on top of the mountain and looked out at the setting sun that outlined the breath-takingly beautiful land before her. The wind brushed lightly against her hair and cheeks, making her skirt sway around her feet. She turned to the water fall that poured endlessly into the river below.

Reaching out, and cupping her hands, Merida collected some of the water into her palms and drank it. The water was icy cold and fresh as new life in Spring. She stood, beaming happily, and then threw her arms up and twirled, cheering at what she had done as she laughed so happily.

Wait until she told her friends about this!

She returned to castle at the same pace she had left: racing. She didn't slow until she was inside the inner wall, and then hopped off as soon as her horse found his stall.

"I'm starving!" She told him, giving him a few could pats as thanks for the long day's ride. "You hungry too, Angus?" She asked, and the horse turned his head to look at her while at the same time whacking her face with his tail.

Spitting out the hair that got stuck in her mouth, Merida wiped her chin with her fist. "Oats it is, then!"

Bursting into the kitchen from the outside, Merida went straight to the table for some food. She grabbed a bright green apple, and then ate a small cookie while no one was watching. Noticing something out of the corner of her eye, Merida froze, bit the apple so she could hold it in her mouth, and backed up to the table behind her, grabbing a large plate of cakes behind her and keeping it hidden from all of the maids as she slipped out towards the dining room.

Merida threw her finished apple core over her shoulder as she walked into the main dining room. Her father was going on about his old war stories again. His favorite one, in fact, where he lost his leg to the demon bear; Mor'du.

The triplets, Hamish, Hubert, and Harris, were falling asleep in their chairs. Slowly dying of boredom as dad had told them the story a hundred time already. Merida smirked and decided to wake the boys up a little.

"...I drew my sword, and -!" Fergus, The King of Scotland, raised his chicken leg as if it were the very weapon he mentioned.

"Whoosh!" Merida cut in, appearing at the boys' sides and startling them awake. Instantly they were wide awake and their eyes were glued on her as if she told a story they'd never heard before. "One swipe and his sword shattered! And _Chomp!_ Dad's leg was clean off! Down the monster's throat it went!" She hissed, backing away mysteriously.

"Aww! That's my favorite part!" Fergus cried, letting his hands fall to the table.

"Mor'du has never been seen since." Merida continued, circling around her father's chair. "And is roaming the wilds, waiting his chance of revenge -RAWR!" She shouted, growling and snapping at her father jokingly.

"Let him return! I'll finish what I cuddled in the first place!" Fergus told her and the twins. Merida chuckled at his antics and dropped her bow onto the table.

"Merida. A princess does not place her weapons on the table." Queen Elinor chided.

"Mom!" Merida groaned, wishing she could have just one day without being told what she can and cannot do! "It's just my bow!"

"A princess should not have weapons, in my opinion." Elinor said, giving her daughter a pointed look.

"Leave her be! Princess or not, learning to fight is essential." Fergus told the Queen, but even so Merida had already lifted her bow back into her hands.

"Mom," Merida said softly. "You'll never guess what I did today."

"Hm?" The Queen replied distractedly, shifting through papers.

"I climbed the Crone's Tooth and drank from the Fire Falls." Merida announced, feeling accomplishment in her gut and pride in her chest, but her eyes just hoped her mother would be proud of her, too. Be as excited as she was.

The twins stopped eating to gaze at her in utter amazement. Even the King was impressed.

"Fire Falls? They say only the Ancient Kings were brave enough to drink the fire." Merida laughed at the look her father gave her, and he laughed with her. She could see pride there. No surprise because her father knew she would do anything she set her mind to, so he stopped being surprised after a while, but he was always so proud of her. Merida never questioned that. Not once.

"What did you do, dear?" The Queen asked, still reading one of her papers.

Merida's smile faded, and she looked down at her plate. "Nothing, mum."

"Hungry, aren't we?" Elinor said when she finally took the time to look at her and motioned towards the large plate of cakes in front of Merida.

"Mom." Merida cringed inwardly as she drew out the word complainingly.

"You'll get dreadful collywobbles!" Queen Elinor told her. "Oh, Fergus! Would you look at your daughters plate?"

Fergus paused in his eating just long enough to glance down at the plate of cakes, and then looked back up at Elinor as barking began to echo from down the halls. "So what?" He shrugged. Before Elinor could answer the King's hounds launched onto the large man, licking him and trying to grab the meat that was in his hands.

"Oh, don't just let them -" Elinor sighed at her husband and then glanced at the triplets. "Boys! Do not -Don't just play with your haggis."

Hubert stuck his piece of haggis onto his fork and then looked mischievously at Harris. Hubert shoved the unappealing piece of meat into his brother's face, and Harris gagged, covering his mouth as if he were going to puke.

"Now, how do you know you don't like it if you don't try it?" Elinor urged them to eat their food, but the boys didn't listen, and the Queen was soon distracted by Maudie, their head maid, bringing forth some more papers for her.

While her parents were busy, Merida got her brothers' attentions. They looked at her curiously, and she pointed to the plate of cakes. She quietly slipped it into her laps and then down onto the floor underneath the table. The boys followed after it almost immediately. Merida didn't really mind their mischief, so long as it wasn't done to her, and there would be plenty of mischief after so many sugary treats.

"Fergus." The Queen called out, bringing silence to the dining hall as the King looked towards her and the hounds dropped to the floor. Merida looked at her mother curiously, unsure of what was happening. "They've all accepted."

Silence. Merida looked at her father, confused, and then back at her mother. "Who's accepted what, mother?" She asked.

The Queen hesitated, and then turned away from Merida for a moment. "Boys," She said, drawing their attention, but their shirts were stuffed with treats, no doubt, and so they jiggled comically when they turned to her. "You are excused." She told them.

The boys hurriedly jumped out of their chairs and rushed out of the dining room with all of the treats that they could, dropping a few treats along the way that brought the hounds chasing after them.

"What... did I do now?" Merida asked, completely confused about what was happening. Had she done something wrong? She couldn't remember doing anything particularly bad recently. The worst was the fight with Gothel last year, her parents had grounded her for two months, but that had long since passed.

"Your father has something to discuss with you." Elinor snapped at Fergus, obviously displeased with him for some reason. Was he supposed to speak with her before now? What did they need to discuss?

Fergus spit out his drink, spraying it in a fine mist, and then turned to his wife in terrified bewilderment.

"Fergus." Elinor prompted again, nodding towards Merida.

Fergus cleared his throat awkwardly, looked at his daughter, and then seemed to take a moment to think about what he was going to say. "Uh... Merida."

That was as far as he managed to get. Elinor sighed and decided tell Merida herself.

"The Lords are presenting their sons as suitors for your betrothal!" The Queen announced excitedly, seemingly thrilled with the idea.

"What?" Merida looked at her, terrified and shocked.

"The Clans have accepted!" The Queen looked positively delighted.

"Dad!" Merida cried, hoping this was all a bad dream and that her father would be on her side like always.

"What? I -I -I... She... Elinor?" He pleaded for help.

"Honestly, Merida, I don't know why you're reacting this way." Elinor shook her head in disapproval, and Merida groaned in frustration, dropping her head onto the table as the Queen went on. "This year each Clan will present a suitor to compete in the Games for your hand!"

"I suppose a princess just does as she's told!" Merida scoffed, throwing her hands up and then slamming her fists on the table, giving her mother a firm glare.

"A princess does not raise her voice." Elinor straightened in a commanding way. "Merida, this is what you've been preparing for your whole life."

"No." Merida retorted, standing so fast her chair screeched against the stone floors. "It's what you've been preparing me for my whole life! I won't go through with it! You can't make me!" Merida shouted, grabbing her bow as she stormed out of the room.

"Merida!" The Queen called after her, but the girl didn't listen.

When Elinor came to find her again, Merida had her sword and was using it to take out all of her frustrations on her bed post. She was angry, hurt, and though she would never admit it, Merida was scared. She wasn't ready for this! Marriage? She was only thirteen! What about Hogwarts? What about her friends?

Seeing her mother at the door, Merida stopped and sagged down, slouching on her bed. "Mother. Suitors? Marriage?!"

"Once there was an ancient kingdom," Elinor began, crossing the room to an old chest.

"Uhg, mom!" Merida groaned, flopping onto her back on the bed. "Ancient kingdom..." She rolled her eyes as she slid off onto the floor.

"It's name long forgotten, ruled by a wise and fair king who was much beloved." Elinor set down a chess set and showed Merida the white king piece. "And when he grew old he divided the kingdom among his four sons that they should be the pillars on which the peace of the land rested." She arranged three white pieces and one black piece to hold the chess board above the table top. "But the eldest son wanted to rule the land for himself. Forging his own path, and the kingdom fell into war and chaos and ruin." She yanked away the black piece and the board and piece scattered onto the floor in front of Merida.

"That's a nice _story_." The red-head remarked a bit sarcastically.

"It's not just a story, Merida. Legends are Lessons, they ring with truth." Elinor told her.

"Gah, Mom." Merida cringed at yet another lesson. She didn't need a lesson, she needed her mother to _listen!_

"I would advise you to make your peace with this." Elinor said firmly as Merida gripped her hair in her fists. "The Clans are coming to present their suitors."

"It's not fair!" Merida snapped back.

"Merida, it's just marriage. It's not the end of the world." Elinor rolled her eyes as she walked out of the room.

Merida shot to her feet and glared at her mother's retreating form. She grabbed the door with both hands and slammed it shut.

She turned away from the door angrily, her cheeks burning and her eyes itching, but she refused to cry. She paced back and forth angry at her mother, angry at the Lords, angry at the betrothal, just everything!

She finally grew sick of pacing and threw herself onto the bed, face buried in her pillows. After a moment of stillness, she peeked over the edge at her beside table. There was the picture of her, Rapunzel, Hiccup, and Jack from first year. Their arms raised and bright grins on their faces.

What would they say if they knew what was happening? What would they do? Surely, they'd be on her side, right? She wasn't ready for marriage! She wanted freedom, not a husband!

This was her third year. She should be thinking about what electives she was going to take with her friends, and what they'll do on the Hogsmeade field trip that they finally get to go on. Will she even get to finish her education at Hogwarts if she gets married?

No. She would not let that happen. No matter what the future held for her, Merida would never let anyone, not even her mother, take away the school she loved and the friends she couldn't live without.

Merida reached for a quill and paper and started writing as fast as she possibly could.

No one was going to take away her freedom.


	2. Return to The Purple Drape

_NOTES:_ Third time's the Charm...

**Chapter 2: Return to The Purple Drape**

Merida flew out of the fireplace, nearly tripping over the step down from the mantle. She managed to catch herself and straighten out, dusting off her robes while shaking her wild hair out of her face. A smile lit up her face partly out of relief from escaping her mother for the day, and partly because all of her friends were already there, waiting for her.

"Merida!" Rapunzel cried, throwing herself at Merida. The other girl hugged Merida so tight that her bones creaked, but Merida was too happy to complain.

"It's good to see you, too, Punzie." Merida laughed, hugging the other girl back.

"Group hug!" Jack shouted, wrapping himself around both of them and dragging a poor, unsuspecting Hiccup along with him.

"Jack! You're crushing my rib-cage!" Hiccup wheezed, trying to escape Jack's arm, but his feet had been lifted from the floor. Merida laughed and pulled away to release Hiccup from the death hug. The boy fell forward, placing his hands on his knees as he sucked air back into his lungs, Jack patting the smaller boy's back with a sheepish grin on his face.

"Oh, Merida, you aren't really getting betrothed, are you?" Rapunzel fussed, looking distraught over the whole situation.

"Not in a million years! I don't care what mom says! I won't go through with it." Merida declared, clenching her fists angrily.

"And here I thought your mom was okay when we met her. Your parents must be crazy to be forcing you into marriage when you're only thirteen!" Jack said, looking a little worried and unsure of what to do. Merida didn't blame him. He and Hiccup didn't come from royalty like her and Punzie. The whole idea of betrothal and arranged marriage must be so strange to them. Heck, Merida had grown up knowing it and it was still strange to her!

"It's not exactly marriage." Merida sighed, knowing she should explain things a bit better. Her letter had been a little... Hasty. "The suitors will compete for my hand during the Games and whoever wins will be my betrothed. Dad says he'll negotiate terms that will allow me to finish school at Hogwarts and after I graduate we'll have the wedding, but I don't want to be betrothed! I don't want my whole life to be planned out for me! I want to go on adventures and see the world with you three once I graduate! Like _we_ planned! If I'm betrothed it will mean the end of my freedom. No more archery, no more riding off whenever I get the chance. Mom'll double my princess lessons and start telling me things about being a proper wife and Queen, but -but I'm not ready!" Merida ranted, knowing her friends would listen to her.

"Is there really no other way to keep the peace?" Rapunzel inquired, obviously wishing she could do something to help.

"It's tradition, mom says," Merida said scornfully. "It's just marriage, not the end of the world!" Merida repeated, feeling the infuriating stinging at the back of her eyes again.

She was not afraid. She was not going to cry.

"Let's talk about something else." Merida muttered, taking a deep breath and huffing it out. Looking up, she smiled as best she could at her worried-looking friends. "Well, you've gotten taller, Punzie." Merida noted now that she could see the other girl standing next to Jack. Rapunzel was half a head taller than Jack, making her the tallest out of the four of them.

"Y-Yeah, remember that dress Mother bought me for my birthday at the beginning of the Summer? The blue one with the ruffled waist-band? It doesn't fit anymore." Rapunzel blushed a rosy pink and ducked her head shyly.

"Well, at least you got to wear it for the Festival of Lights!" Merida chuckled, patting her friend's shoulder. She actually had to reach up a little bit to do it.

It wasn't that Merida hadn't grown over the Summer, she'd actually grown a whole three inches and stood at the same height as Jack now, but Rapunzel had grown at least six! Not to mention the other girl was so naturally pretty with her fair skin, light-green eyes, and golden hair. Overall, Rapunzel was a very pretty girl. There wasn't a doubt in Merida's mind that Rapunzel would grow up to be an absolutely beautiful Lady. She was already the picture perfect princess: Smart, kind, polite, pretty... She was everything Merida's mother could possibly want and more. Merida couldn't help the little pang of envy that hit her chest.

"But I'm not the only one who's growing!" Rapunzel's blush slowly disappeared as excitement lit up her eyes. "Jack's going to the Temple of the Seasons this Winter!"

"Really? What for?" Merida turned to Jack, feeling her own excitement growing.

"What do you think I'm going for?" Jack returned her question with a question, waggling his eyebrows as if they already knew and were in on something big and exciting.

"Uh..." Merida looked pleadingly at Rapunzel, but she only shrugged, biting her lip uncertainly.

"Oh, come on!" Jack cried, pouting at them. "You can't say you don't notice anything different about me!" He tried again, leaning forward and nodding his head to the side.

"Eh, you got water in your ear or something?..." Merida asked, unsure of what he was trying to do.

Hearing that, Jack lost balance and fell forward onto the floor. He grumbled as he rubbed his head, but Hiccup was laughing hysterically behind him. The girl's looked at each other, utterly confused, and Jack pushed back to sit cross-legged on the floor, crossing his arms and frowning.

"I can't believe you two! Hiccup noticed as soon as he saw me!" Jack told them, trying to look mature and disappointed, but the way he pushed his bottom lip up just made him look like an angry four-year-old.

A snort slipped from Merida, but she quickly covered her mouth to hide it as Rapunzel folded her lips under her teeth to keep from laughing. It didn't help that Hiccup was still laughing so hard that he had fallen to the floor and had tears in the corners of his eyes.

"And what are you laughing at?!" Jack shouted, turning on the other boy. Hiccup tried really hard to stop laughing, but the chuckles escaped anyways. Jack grinned. "I'll give you something to laugh at!" Jack launched himself at Hiccup and the two boys started to roll across the floor of Jack's living room, wrestling and laughing.

"Jack! Mom said that if you said it was okay for me to come then I could go with you guys and -..." Jack's little sister, Emma, came bouncing excitedly into the open space of their living room only to pause and look at her brother and his friend piled on top of each other, Jack ruffling Hiccup's hair in his attempt to tickle the smaller boys neck while Hiccup hooked his finger in Jack's cheek and pulled his face to one side.

The boys froze and looked up at Emma, who simply stared back at them with a blank look on her face. Then she sighed heavily and turned towards the stairs. "MAMA! Jack and Cat are wrestling inside again -Hmph!"

Emma was suddenly cut off as Jack threw his hand over her mouth, looking nervously at the stairs. After a moment he sighed and released his sister.

"Okay, okay! If you promise not to tell mom, I'll let you come with us!" Jack told her, lowering his voice a bit.

"And?" Emma asked, smirking and crossing her arms.

Jack glared at her, pursing his lips. "...And we'll get you Ice Cream!"

"And?" Emma said again, drawing it out this time as her sly look got bigger. Jack huffed angrily.

"Fine." He caved. "And you can have my desserts for a month. Happy?"

"Yep!" Emma chirped cheerily as she skipped off down the hall, probably to get her cloak so they could leave.

"She's as devious as my little brothers!" Merida gaped at where the younger girl disappeared around the corner, and then looked at Rapunzel with both shock and amusement.

"Like brother, like sister." Hiccup remarked, still sitting on the floor.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Jack rolled his eyes, helping Hiccup to stand up, but then pulling him straight into a headlock for a noogie. "But at least I can get away with this!"

"Jack!" Hiccup laughed, pulling at the other boy's arm.

"Alright, you two, that's enough! If you get in trouble we won't be able to go get our books for school!" Rapunzel reminded them, and Jack released Hiccup, but they were both still grinning and nudging each other playfully.

"Anyways, you never finished telling us why you're going to the Temple of the Seasons." Merida pointed out, and Jack beamed.

"Isn't it obvious? My powers have finished maturing, and it's time for me to start my training as a Winter Sprite. My Coming of Age ceremony is this Winter." Jack told them, shaking his head full of completely snow-white hair at them. Rapunzel gasped happily, and Merida grinned.

"Congratulations, Jack!" Rapunzel squealed, giving him another tight hug.

Merida went for something a little simpler and punched him in the shoulder. "Good for you, Frosty! The hair looks natural on you. You can't really blame us for not noticing."

"That's what I keep telling him, but he doesn't listen." Hiccup crossed his arms and shook his head.

Merida chuckled, but then she got a good glimpse of Hiccup and her eyes shot wide open.

"What happened to your face?!" She exclaimed, gaping at the black eye and split lip that decorated Hiccup's face.

"Oh! Uh, well, it -it wasn't really anything major. Just a mild calibration issue." Hiccup told her, awkwardly rubbing his upper arm and then motioning with his hands as he spoke. "It's getting better though! Once I figure out how to stabilize the spring-coil it'll be perfect!"

"What on earth are you talking about?" Merida squinted at him like he had grown a second head. What in the world did this kid do during his spare time?

"Gah, It's one of his inventions." Jack groaned, frowning as Hiccup shifted awkwardly in his spot.

"Inventions? What are you making?" Rapunzel asked curiously, smiling as Hiccup avoided eye contact and fidgeted with his hands.

"Just... Stuff. You know, things to help my village with everyday life." Hiccup shrugged.

Merida noticed that he was he only one who hadn't grown very much. Maybe an inch? If that. And he was still the skinniest person she'd ever met. He'd always been scrawny and awkward, never really comfortable in his own skin from what she could tell, and Merida hoped that he was just a late bloomer.

"What do these inventions do? I mean if Jack doesn't like them...?" Rapunzel questioned cautiously, uncertain of how the boys would react.

"The inventions are fine! It's the fact that when he tests them he ends up with more bruises and cuts than when Daren Fouls was picking on him!" Jack exclaimed, and Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Don't you roll your eyes at me, mister! You're still grounded!"

"Seriously?" Hiccup gave Jack the driest look Merida had ever seen, and she couldn't help the snicker that escaped, her eye twitched weirdly. Jack had always been a little... Overprotective.

"Yes!" Jack said as firmly as he possibly could. "I swear, one of these days you're gonna lose a limb! Or go jumping off cliffs thinking you can make yourself a pair of wings, or something!"

Merida would've laughed, but her head throbbed suddenly and her vision flashed with transparent images: Red material of some sort, huge and powerful bat wings from what Merida could make out. Her hearing was muffled, but she heard some kind of whistling sound, like some _thing_ was shrieking but the sound was too far away... Merida shook her head and the images cleared as she blinked several times. Probably just the stress getting to her.

"Oh, Jack, come on! That's just ridiculous -!" Hiccup was starting to argue.

"I'm ready!" Emma called skipping out with her cloak on her shoulders and a small bag at her hip. She grinned widely, and Rapunzel jumped in.

"It's about time we got started, too, don't you think? Come on! It's our first time going shopping for school supplies alone! I can't wait!" Rapunzel squeaked with excitement and lead the way down the stairs.

They entered the bottom half of Jack's house, which had been turned into a boutique called The Purple Drape for Mrs. Frost's business. It hadn't changed much since the last time Merida had been there, and it was nice to see that there were people waiting for fittings and browsing the racks of clothing.

They found Jack's mother behind the main counter, just finishing up with a costumer, and after letting her know that they were going and Emma was with them, the five set off into Diagon Alley in search of their school books for that year.

The busy streets and crowded markets were a fantastic distraction from everything that Merida had to deal with back home. Being with her friends actually made her wonder if that year wouldn't be so bad. The Games were going to be held at Hogwarts, and Merida wasn't sure how she felt about that yet, but at least her friends would be there to support her no matter what happened, right?

The way Merida saw it was that this year was either going to end really well, or really, really horribly.

* * *

The image of five children laughing and having fun as they explored the wonders of Diagon Alley together glowed in the bubbling potion that filled the cauldron. A spying potion that allowed the maker to see anyone of their choosing. The bright scene displayed in the cauldron spread light into the dark cavern, making the shadows shy away and the Nightmares whinny in pain and outrage as they fell away from the light.

Only two of the cavern's occupants stood about the cauldron, watching the moving images. One scowled angrily, glaring at the five children with utter hate. The other was calm, smiling, even.

"Let me finish them." The scowling woman said, looking at her hands and then clenching them into fists as she grinned maliciously. "They'll be an easy target. Just the four of them with only that little brat to accompany them? And no Guardians within miles of them! It's perfect. Just a few moments and we could be rid of them all! Your Nightmares will be free to run rampant while the Guardians are scrambling to find out what happened."

"No." Pitch Black replied firmly, his hands folded behind his back as he slowly, calmly circled the cauldron. "The Guardians will know. As much as they are fools they are aware that these four have caused us quite a lot of trouble. They'll be watching, making sure these children are safe." Pitch waved his hand over the cauldron and the image sped past the four, zooming in on a smaller figure across the street.

One of Toothiana's Fairies watched them, staying hidden behind clothing racks and store signs so as not to draw attention to itself. Again Pitch swiped his hand across the top, and it revealed a golden butterfly farther down the street that left a tiny dusting of sparkling Dreamsand wherever it landed.

Gothel's frown deepened, and then she growled. "All Summer they were alone! Perfectly vulnerable! We could have picked them off one by one and been done with this, but you continuously refuse to take action!"

"Because rash actions could bring about our destruction!" Pitch snapped. Gothel's mouth snapped shut, and Pitch regained his composure. "You forget that my army is not fully prepared. I am still gathering my followers. The Guardians will not seek us out yet, so long as we tread carefully. These four are of little concern in their current state, but it is obvious that North has taken an interest in them."

"You don't think the Prophecy...? Them?!" Gothel's asked incredulously, but her eyes were wide and the blood drained from her face.

"It is hard to say." Pitch shrugged, seemingly amused by the idea. "They are so young."

"How can you be so calm about this?! If they are the ones of the Prophecy then we must act now!" Gothel insisted.

"Patience, Gothel." Pitch told her firmly, silencing her once again. "The girl won't take the betrothal so easily. She will deny her hand to the suitors and the lords will be enraged. If we watch carefully, we may be able to rid ourselves of these four without ever having to get our hands dirty."

"You have a plan then?" Gothel demanded.

"But of course!" Pitch said reassuringly. The he smiled wickedly. "The little pests are walking right into my trap."


	3. Remember to Smile

_NOTES:_ Summer is Passing, Leaves are Falling, Snow is Coming, Spring will be here Soon.

 **Music:** "Remember to Smile" by Patrick Doyle (Brave 2012 soundtrack)

**Chapter 3: Remember To Smile**

Greenery rushes passed them as the sturdy, bright red train moved swiftly across the long stretches of land along the familiar track. The whistle blows now that they have cleared the station and are on their way to the grand castle that Merida had missed so much over the Summer.

Honestly, it was a miracle that Merida had been allowed to take the Hogwarts Express to school that year because her mother had almost insisted on Merida riding in the Royal carriages with the rest of the family. Luckily, Merida's father had stepped in and convinced Elinor to let her take the train with her friends.

Merida sighs heavily as she flops into her seat, having been standing by the window to wave goodbye to her family. Well, she supposed it was more of a 'see you later' sort of wave this time around, which only made the twisted knot in her stomach tighten. What would everyone at school say once her family showed up? She could practically hear the rumors starting already, and she didn't even want to think about the endless teasing that surly awaited her.

"Merida?" Rapunzel's voice brought Merida out of her thoughts and she looked over to find all three of her friends were looking at her worriedly. "Are you alright?" Rapunzel asked gently, placing a comforting hand on Merida's shoulder.

"...I just don't understand! It's not like I ask for a lot! Why is it so hard for her to understand that I'm not like her? That I don't want to get married and throw my whole life away?" Merida burst, unable to keep it in any longer. For the past two weeks her mother had been relentless in trying to prepare her for the Games, and being on the Hogwarts Express was like being in her own place. Somewhere safe, and private. Like the stables back home. But the more Merida thought about it, the more she realized that school normally felt the same: safe and private, away from her expectant mother. Now that was all going to change.

"This sounds like a classic case of miscommunication." Jack nodded decisively, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he did so. Then he jumped up into a crouch on the bench seat. "You should practice! Come on, pretend Hiccup's your mom! What would you say to her?"

"Hey, wait a minute, why do I have to be her mom? Why can't Rapunzel be her mom? She's a girl!" Hiccup complained, crossing his arms and glaring up at Jack.

"You wanna help Merida, don't you?" Jack's argument didn't make much sense, but the white-haired boy hardly ever used logic when arguing with people.

Hiccup, apparently, decided it wasn't worth the battle and gave in, turning to Merida who was seated right in front of him. He took a deep breath and then let all out at once, folding his in front of his stomach just like Merida always had to do during her Speaking Lessons. "Oh, Merida, darling, you don't understand! There are laws and traditions and whatnot, and you must be a pretty princess and marry a handsome Lord, or it's all for naught!"

Merida and Rapunzel burst into giggles as Hiccup spoke in a high pitch and raised his chin to look and sound like a proper noblewoman, and Merida had to admit that the impression was pretty spot on.

"Are you kidding? I can't do this!" Merida chuckled, but shook her head at the same time. They didn't honestly think this could help, did they?

"Yes you can, just give it a try! At the very least it'll make you feel better," Jack said, motioning towards Hiccup encouragingly.

The smaller boy still had the silly look on his face, but Merida decided to humor them. It couldn't possibly make this worse, so what harm was it? Merida closed her eyes for a moment, trying to really think about what she would say to her mother if she took the time to listen.

"Just... Just Call Off The Gathering! Would that kill them? You're the Queen. You can just tell the Lords that 'the princess is not ready for this, and, in fact, she might not ever be ready for this, soooo, that's that. Good day to you! We'll expect your Declarations of War in the morning." She said with a rather sarcastic smile, and then deflated for a moment because of how selfish that probably sounded.

"I don't want my life to be over. I want my freedom!" She tried to explain.

"I'm not doing any of this to hurt you!" She added. She never wanted to hurt anybody.

"But it's my life! I'm... I'm just not ready." She slumped back in her seat, her stomach giving a terrible pull again. She couldn't be scared, she wasn't scared, it's just that... She just needed time!

"I think I could make you understand if you would just... Listen." She practically begged, and her prideful side did feel a b shameful for it, but she was too desperate to care. Her friends looked the way she felt; helpless and upset. Worried to the point of being sick.

For just a second, Merida's eyes dropped down in defeat, but then she steeled herself and looked up, more determined than ever. "I swear, you guys, this isn't going to happen." She told them softly, firmly. "Not if I have any say in it."

* * *

The train ride felt so much shorter to Merida than it had the past two years, and dread pooled in her stomach as the wheels screeched to an undeniable stop. From the window she could see her mother standing on the platform, waiting for her. Her father must have gone ahead with the boys.

"Maybe we could sneak passed her?" Jack suggested upon seeing what she was looking at, but Merida sighed and shook her head.

"If she doesn't find me here she'll get the entire castle staff looking for me within the hour." Merida grumbled and resigned herself to sitting through the presentation with her family. But that didn't mean she had to like it.

Getting off of the train with all the other students, Merida wanted to shrink away into nothing as her mother caught sight of her.

"Merida!" She called delicately, hurrying over, and then the Queen took a glance at what she was wearing. "Merida, this is hardly the proper attire for the Gathering! Oh, come with me! The Lord's haven't arrived yet, so we can find you something more appropriate to wear." The Queen said, fussing over Merida like a mother hen.

"Mom! My robes are fine! Everyone else is wearing them." Merida pointed to her friends who had also changed into their robes during the train ride.

"But you are the princess, and tonight you are expected to look and behave like one, Merida." Queen Elinor's voice came a little more sharply this time, but her expression softened as she steered Merida towards the Royal Carriage that was waiting for her near by. "These children will one day look up to you as a Queen of one of the Unite Realms. You want to make a good impression, don't you?"

Merida only groaned weakly, looking apologetically at her friends over her shoulder, but they smiled encouragingly back at her. It was going to be a long night, and Merida knew they were wishing her luck.

The carriage brought them up to the castle where Merida was rushed to the private chambers dedicated to the Scottish Royal Family during their visit. Maids scuttled about, unpacking the Queen's and King's belongings, but they were quickly ushered out of the room with the excuse that the princess needed to get dressed for the Gathering.

For a whole hour Merida was squeezed into a too-tight corset, her curly hair was yanked by a brush until it finally submitted into a shape that the Queen deemed exceptable, she was ordered to put on eighteen different dresses before her mother decided which one was the right one, and then her hair and head were shoved into a head covering that reached from her hairline down her neck and all the way to her shoulders. Quite literally, every inch of her, excluding her face, was covered by some kind of heavy, rich fabric.

Tucking the last lock of Merida's hair into the covering and clipping a silver necklace around her neck, Elinor stepped back to admire her work. "You look absolutely beautiful." Elinor smiled fondly at her.

"I... I can't breathe!" Merida struggled with the words, the dress being too tight and too hot. It was completely uncomfortable and impractical.

"Oh, hush!" Elinor silenced her. "Give us a turn," She said, motioning with her arm.

Merida proceeded to try and do what she was told, but the dress and corset were so tight that she barely move even her legs. "I can't move!" Merida exclaimed when she had only made one-fourth of a turn with much difficulty. "It's too tight!" She came to face front again, but her mother wasn't listening.

"It's perfect!" Elinor said, her voice choked as if she were going to cry. Merida just let out a long, heavy groan and continued trying to move even just her shoulders underneath the layers of fabric, small grunts and groans escaping her with the struggle. The Queen took a breath suddenly, as if to say something, and Merida looked up. Making eye contact, Merida suddenly felt like she was a very small child again and a spark of hope fluttered through her stomach. "...Merida." Elinor murmured.

"Mom?" Merida inquired, equally as quiet as her mother drew closer to her.

"Just..." She paused, as if unsure of what to say, and then drew herself up into a dignified stance with a deep breath. "Remember to smile." She finished and turned to lead the way out of the room.

Merida stared after her, unsure of how she should feel as the small spark she had felt grew so cold. It was like a shard of ice as she tried to make sense of the frustration, the anger, and the sadness that struck her like a bludger to the side in a Quidditch match.

* * *

Merida was lead down to the Great Hall just in time for North's announcement of her family staying at the school with the students. Merida near about died as the large, heavy doors opened to reveal her and her family along with their parade of servants and guards. Whispers spread across the Great Hall like wild fire, and Merida's only comfort was that Jack, Hiccup, and Rapunzel had all sat on the inside of the middle aisle at the Ravenclaw table, whispering encouragements and giving her thumbs-up as she passed them.

The teachers' tables on the dais had been moved to the sides to make room for the four thrones that had been delivered from the Dunbroch castle throne room, and North welcomed them warmly, her father and the Deputy Headmaster clasping arms and patting each others backs heartily.

Elinor motioned for the servants to get into their places as Fergus took his position on the largest throne. Merida went to the one placed just beside him and struggled to sit down because she couldn't bend with the corset on.

Her mother finally swept passed, tapping her shoulder and making her fall back into the chair. The Queen made an upwards motion with her hand, and Merida sat up straight with a huff of annoyance. Defiantly, she reached up and pulled a lock of her wild hair out of the covering.

Not a second later did her mother turn around and put the lock of hair right back into the covering, and then turned to go to her own seat on the other side of Fergus, leaving Merida to glare straight ahead of her with slightly pursed lips.

When Elinor took her seat the triplets ceased their constant wrestling and straightened themselves out as the King chuckled. Elinor reached up to fix a wrinkle in his sleeve, but the King pulled away grumpily.

"Bah, I look fine, woman, leave me be!" He grumbled in his deep, reverberating voice. Merida, encouraged by her father's own defiance, once again yanked the single curl of hair out of her covering, satisfied that her mother couldn't control everything.

It was quite obvious they had missed the Sorting Ceremony, which Merida wasn't too pleased about considering she had missed the first-years that would be joining Gryffindor that year, but she wasn't given much time to dwell on the matter as all four of the tables twisted and turned to see what was going on as the grand doors flew open with a loud bang.

The three Lords lead their people down the center aisle with their chins held high and their knees lifting to a ninety-degree angle with each marching step. Every face was the picture of seriousness as the crowds carried their individual flags proudly. When they came to a halt at the foot of the dais, all of the men planted their spears with an impressively synchronized thump.

After a moment, the shortest of the three Lords looked at the other two and noticed the vast height difference. He called out to one of his men, and immediately a servant moved forward and placed a stool on the floor, which the Lord stepped up onto.

Instantly, all the men cheered as the bagpipes played, creating a cacophony of sound that bounced off the stone walls of the hall. They waved the spears in the air and pounded their fists against their chests, yelling out with pride for their clans.

The King rose to his feet and silence instantly filled the hall. Merida noticed the confused looks shared between Hiccup and Jack while Rapunzel simply smiled back at her and gave her two thumbs-up.

"So," The King began, raising his arms up. "Here we are!... The Four Clans... Uh... Gathering!... Uh... For... for..."

Queen Elinor sighed, rising from her seat and stepping forward to save her husband from himself. "The Presentation of the Suitors!"

"The Presentation of the Suitors!" King Fergus shouted along with her, happy to have the help. "Clan Macintosh!"

"MACINTOSH!" The men from Clan Macintosh roared back, echoing the King. Lord Macintosh, himself, stepped forward for the presentation.

"Your Majesty! I present my Heir and Sire, who defended our land from the Northern Invaders and, with his own sword, vanquished a thousand foes!" Lord Macintosh raised his arms, which elicited more cheering from his men as Young Macintosh came forward swinging his sword about to show off his skills.

Merida only knew him as one of the boys from Slytherin. She supposed, sense she had never heard Jack complain about him, he must have been at least tolerable, but she really knew nothing about him. She peeked at her friends: Jack was making a gagging face, but upon noticing that Merida was looking, Rapunzel elbowed him in the gut and nodded towards her. Jack smiled nervously and waved to her sheepishly. Hiccup just fidgeted uncomfortably.

Looking back at Macintosh, she felt her stomach give a heave as he fixed her with a flirtatious look. Merida sighed heavily, shaking her head as she pulled her covering down to cover her face, sinking into her chair.

"MacGuffin!" The King called next, and once again he was met with a hearty cheering as the Lord stepped forward.

"Your Majesty. I present my eldest son. He snuffled the Viking long ships, and with his bare hands vanquished two thousand foes." Lord MacGuffin placed one large hand on his son's shoulder, and Young MacGuffin raised a small log that her held in his hands, one that would be perfect for firewood, and snapped it in two.

Cheers went up again, and Merida peeked out from under her covering to see a large boy she recognized from Hufflepuff. She looked over to Rapunzel, and the other girl nodded vigorously, but the wrinkle in her eyes as she smiled told Merida that she was just trying to be positive for her sake. Jack looked about ready to start laughing now, and Hiccup just looked really uncomfortable, fidgeting in his seat and avoiding eye-contact. Merida didn't worry about it much because it was probably just the very tall and muscly boys his age making him nervous.

"Dingwall!" The King called out, and the shouts rose once more. Lord Dingwall looked rather smug as he stepped down from his stool.

"Your Majesty. I present my only son." He rose his hand, and next to him stood the largest, mot intimidating, scary, battle-scarred, and rather handsome warrior out of all the men gathered before them.

Merida gaped at him and noted that her friends were doing the same. Her father looked positively disbelieving as her mother simply placed a hand on her chest as if she'd been startled by the giant.

"Who was besieged by ten thousand Romans, and he took out a whole armada single handedly! With one arm, he -..." He looked up and noticed the large man. With a slight growl, the smaller man reach behind the warrior and pulled out a boy from Gryffindor that was borderline pathetic. The only boy in the whole school smaller or skinnier than him was Hiccup and some of the younger classmates! "-With one arm," Lord Dingwall continued. "He was steering the ship, and with the other, he held his mighty sword, and struck down a whole attacking fleet!"

"LIES!" A voice shouted from somewhere in the room, causing an uproar of mutters and shouts.

"What?" Dingwall demanded, glaring into the Macintosh group for whoever had spoken. "I heard that! Rah! Say it to my face!... Or are you scared, simpering Jack-a-leaps afraid to muss your pretty hair?"

"At least we have hair!" Lord Macintosh retaliated, making the hall of people chuckle.

"And all our teeth!" Lord MacGuffin added in.

"And we don't hide under bridges, you grumpy, old troll!" Macintosh agreed, making everyone laugh hysterically. Even the King gave Elinor's shoulder a shove as he laughed loudly.

"You wanna laugh, huh? WEE DINGWALL!" Lord Dingwall shouted, and in the next moment Wee Dingwall had launch himself onto the back of Lord Macintosh, biting his shoulder like a rapid dog.

The bagpipe players started a tune and the hall exploded into a brawl between the three Clans. Merida was glad that the four tables had been pushed farther to the sides to widen the space of the Hall because otherwise her friends would have been crushed or caught up in the fighting.

Punches flew as roars and shouts of battle echoed off the stone walls. Merida rolled her eyes, and slumped deeper into her chair as her father excitedly shouted at the mess, egging them on. However, after sparing a look at the Queen's unamused face, Fergus straightened and stepped up from his throne.

"CUT IT!" The King shouted as loud as he possibly could. The noise and the fighting stopped, and everyone turned to look at the King. "Now. That's all done! You've had your go at each other. Show a little decorum! And no more fighting!"

What no one noticed though, except for Jack and Hiccup, were the three little red-haired boys that peeked up from a loose stone in the floor, and dropped a mace on Lord Dingwall's foot.

Chaos broke out once again and the Clans went right back to fighting as the students of Hogwarts looked about, unsure of what to do in such a situation. Toothiana and Sandman were both moving about the tables, trying to keep the students calm as King Fergus jumped into the fight. Bunnymund looked about ready to pull his wand and put an end to the madness, but North was laughing and talking about how somethings never change, eh, Bunny?

Finally, Queen Elinor rose from her seat and calmly descended from the dais, her chin lifted and a hardened expression on her features. The squabbling men fell silent one by one as she passed, removing their helmets and bowing lowly as they cleared a path for her that lead straight to King Fergus and the Lords who were tangled in a wrestling match. They froze upon seeing her and, for just a moment, no one moved.

Queen Elinor dragged them back to the foot of the dais by their ears, the Lords and Fergus whimpering like misbehaved children the whole way. She released them at the foot of the steps and continued to the top as the Lords bowed deeply and made their apologies.

"I'm sorry, love, I- I- I didn't..." King Fergus tried, but then saw the look on Elinor's face. "Yes, Dear." He mumbled, lumbering back to his throne as Elinor cleared her throat delicately and addressed the crowds.

"Now, where were we? Ah, yes. In accordance with our laws, by the rights of our heritage, only the first born of each of our leaders may be presented as Champions, and, thus, compete for the hand of the Princess of Dunbroch." The Queen projected formally, gaining the attention of not only the Clans, but all of the students as well. "To win the Fair Maiden they must prove their worth! By feats of strength or arms in the Games. It is customary that the challenge be determined by the Princess herself on the first day of Spring. Until that day we celebrate as United Clans with festivities and competitions of skill allowing the bonds between our peoples to grow stronger still!"

The Queen's words were met with cheers and excitement from the people. Queen Elinor did have quite the talent for leadership and diplomacy, which was what made her such an excellent Queen, but all Merida wanted was a mother who would listen to her. Her mother was too worried about the politics and traditions to even consider how Merida felt about the whole thing.

"Let the Games begin!" The Queen announced happily, and roars of approval met her words, but Merida was simply hoping she could find a way out of this before the first day of Spring.


	4. Divination

_NOTES:_ What is Meant To Be will Always find it's way...

**Chapter 4: Divination**

"Uhhng..." Merida groaned heavily as she finally stopped walking long enough to slouch against the stone wall of the castle hallway.

A crowd of third-years were gathered outside of classroom eleven, which was situated at the end of a long hallway, apart from the rest of the school. Merida stood a few feet away from the bustling group of students, wanting to enjoy a few moments peace while she had the chance.

The past few days of school were pretty hard for Merida. Traditionally, the first week of regular classes wasn't that hard because the teachers took this time to introduce themselves to new students, talk about what they would be teaching, and even have the students play some name games if the teacher was in a particularly good mood. However, it was Merida's third year at Hogwarts, which meant not only did she have regular core classes to attend, but also the new electives that were required for her age group. Normally, Merida probably wouldn't find it so tiring to add only two classes to her schedule, but her mother's constant presence, and the continuing of her Princess Lessons, complicated things a bit more.

Merida was glad she only took the required two classes, instead of trying to add in a third like Rapunzel, who had already received homework for her healing lessons, and Hiccup, who had signed up for Arithmancy on top of the two electives the four had agreed to take together.

Merida smiled a little at that thought. Her mother could take away her free time outside of classes, but electives weren't separated by Houses like core classes, which meant Merida had two whole class periods with all three of her friends in the same class as her. Not from lack of planning, of course, they had been sending letters to each other all Summer, trying to decide what electives they were going to take together.

"You look tired. What's up, Mer?" Jack's voice had Merida opening her eyes lazily and glancing to the side to look at the two boys that now stood next to her. She gave a small grunt of acknowledgement before leaning farther back against the wall so she could slide down to the floor without hurting her bottom. "That bad, huh? Is it your mom?"

Merida sighed heavily and nodded. "I can't believe she's making me do Princess Lessons at school!It's bad enough I can't sit with you guys during the dinner feasts, but she even has to take away all of my free time! If I'm not in class with a teacher, I'm with my mother, and if I'm not with my mother, I'm being forced to watch one of the stupid events for the Gathering! It's like I've got no say in anything anymore!"

"Maybe she'll go easier on you as classes start to pick up. She might just be trying to cram in some last minute lessons before all your time is taken up by homework and Quidditch." Hiccup offered hopefully.

"Maybe." Merida murmured doubtfully as she picked herself up off the floor, dusting off her robes a bit.

"Hey, where's Punzie? I thought for sure you guys would beat us here," Jack said as he looked around for the golden-haired girl that was currently missing from their group.

"On her way from the Infirmary, I'd hope." Merida shrugged. "She said she had Healing Lessons. I had the period free, so I spent it hiding from my mom."

"It's a good thing you didn't come with me to my lesson, too." The three looked up curiously at the sound of Rapunzel's voice. The Hufflepuff smiled at them, hugging her books to her chest as she walked up to join them. "The Hospital Wing was one of the first places your mom looked when she found out Gryffindors had the period free." Rapunzel giggled as Merida felt heat flush across her face.

Merida was sure her face was bright red, and she grabbed her hair and pulled it in front of her face, so her friends wouldn't see how incredibly embarrassed she was. Why couldn't her mother just show everyone her baby pictures like a normal parent? Or tell embarrassing stories? Merida was positive that it would be so much less embarrassing than being the _Princess_. Everyone was already talking about the Gathering and the Lords' sons! One of the other Gryffindor girls even asked her which boy she hoped would win! Needless to say, Merida gagged on her own tongue.

"I can't really say I know what you're going through, but try to not let the other students bother you. They're just excited about all the festivities going on. I'm sure they'll all forget about everything as soon as this is over." Rapunzel tried to be positive, but it sounded forced to the point where even Jack and Hiccup looked doubtful. "...Okay, maybe not everything, but you two are supposed to be helping to encourage her." Rapunzel frowned at the boys, crossing her arms over her chest.

Merida sighed again. "I appreciate it, and I know you all mean well, but unless I find some way to stop this betrothal, I'm afraid there isn't much to be positive about..."

Her friends fell silent, each of them fading back into their own thoughts. Merida didn't mind the quiet. Normally she would find it boring and a little awkward, wanting someone to tell a joke or start a game so they could all laugh and have some fun, but lately she really just needed time to be quiet and hear her own thoughts for a little while. She appreciated her friends' presence, though. They were the only ones who seemed to understand how she was feeling.

Just as Jack opened his mouth to say something, the teacher appeared from around the corner. She was tall and confident, walking with brisk, purposeful strides. She was young, for a Professor, and had a pretty face with an easy smile. Her black hair was tied back with a red ribbon, and her dress was an interesting design of red, grey, and black. Her black heels clicked against the stone in a very official manner, and the crowd of students quickly parted to either side to allow her access to the door.

"Yes, yes, so sorry for the wait kids." The Professor produced a key from the large bag she carried on one arm, opening the door and leading the crowd of students into the classroom.

"That's Franny Robinson, the famous Seer!" Rapunzel whispered in excitement as she latched onto Merida's arm. "She's one of the youngest teachers at Hogwarts, and I heard that she can look into anyone's future whenever she wants."

"Pretty ironic, considering she's always running late!" A Slytherin boy, Wilbur, laughed as he passed the four on his way into the classroom, turning and walking backwards so they could continue their conversation as they walked. Rapunzel jumped from his sudden appearance, and Jack chuckled at the other boy's joke.

"Isn't she your mom?" Jack raised an eyebrow, smirking as Wilbur grinned sheepishly.

"What can I say? I must have inherited all the talent in my family." Wilbur threw his hands behind his head, looking rather smug.

"BOO!" Mavis suddenly jumped up next to Wilbur, startling a rather high-pitched scream out of the boy, and Merida couldn't help but laugh at his terrified expression. "Ignore Mister Talented over there. The only reason he's taking this class is because Daren Fouls isn't. Can't say I blame him, though."

Before Mavis had finished her sentence they had entered the classroom, and it looked like a regular old classroom, except for the very tall, spiral staircase that lead up to a circular trap door in the ceiling. Professor Robinson was already propping it open and allowing students inside, so the the four quickly followed after the two Slytherins to catch up with the rest of the class.

The official classroom for Divination was located at the top of the North Tower, and looked like a cross between someone's attic and a very old tea-shop. It smelled of tea, herbs, and incense, and tables were littered throughout the room with a variety of chairs and stools of every shape and size. Carpets covered the stone floors and tapestries hung over every inch of the wood walls, making the room feel warm. Everything was covered by some kind of decorative cloth with images that swirled and curled with every color imaginable.

Merida thought it was one of the more fun rooms she'd seen in the castle, and she instantly took a liking to it.

There were only two chairs for every table, and so Merida and Rapunzel took a table in the second row, raised slightly above the first by a step, and Hiccup and Jack settled for the table in front of theirs. Merida may have felt comfortable in the room, but she wasn't going to take a front row seat if she didn't have to. That was just asking for the teacher to call on you.

As all of the students settled into their seats, the chatter slowly fading as they all turned to face the teacher, Professor Robinson copied some of her lecture notes onto the board and situated her books and papers on her desk. Once she was finished, she addressed the class with a bright smile.

"Now, as some of you may already know, I am Professor Franny Robinson. I teach Divination here at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and I am also the conductor for the Frog Choir here at the school, which I would like to remind you all that Auditions are this weekend, so if you are interested in joining the Choir, please come see me after class." Professor Robinson informed them while pointing to the note she made at the top of the board, which reviewed the audition times. "Now, as third years, I know that this is probably one of your first elective courses, so why don't we spend some time talking about what Divination is? Can anyone give me an example?"

Another Gryffindor, Justin Yearn, who sat more towards the center, raised his hand, and the Professor nodded to him. "Divination itself is a type of magic that allows you to see into the future, isn't it? An example might be a Prophecy that tells of a great hero?"

"Yes, that is how most people think of it. But keep in mind, not all prophecies are good." Professor Robinson walked around her desk, standing before her class openly. "Most of you will not have the Gift of a Seer. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if none of you had it. Even the Centaurs, who created this branch of magic and refined somewhat of a technique for it, still do not understand it fully. Personally, I believe it is a Gift that was never meant to be completely understandable, and, therefore, we will never be able to fully comprehend it, but it does not mean that we cannot study it." The Professor gave the class a bright smile, folding her hands together as her eyes scanned the room. "In this class you will study many different ways to scry information about the future, including tea dregs, crystal balls, tarot cards, visions, smoke patterns, dreams, and Astrology and horoscope charts."

Whispers shifted through the sea of students as they grew excited about everything the Professor intended to teach them. Merida felt her own excitement bubbling up inside her, as well. She had never been so interested in any of her classes before, except for flying, of course, but this was different. It wasn't just for fun, it felt... Important. Almost urgent for some reason.

"We will also spend some of our time Interpreting Prophecies. Your textbooks will help to guide you as you discern or translate what the symbols you observe during your studies mean." Professor Robinson told them as she turned to her desk and picked up her copy of their textbook. "Now, seeing as we can't begin peering into each others futures until we have memorized some of the symbols of Divination and their meanings, let's turn to page four of the text. Would someone like to volunteer to read from the top?"

* * *

Merida sat slouched in her chair on the dais, watching from afar as her friends ate their dinner at the Slytherin table next to Wilbur and Mavis while she was stuck next to her parents, the Lords, and all the Professors.

A small source of amusement came from a short moment in which her brothers started to giggle hysterically at the bubbles they made in their drinks by blowing into their straws, but one look from their mother and the boys immediately straightened up, eating like proper princes in an instant.

Merida sighed heavily, losing her appetite, and propped her cheek against her fist. Why couldn't she just sit with her friends like she normally did? She was being pretty good, considering she didn't even try too hard to get out of her princess lessons right after Divination. What would it take for her mother to give her just a little space?

Merida's eyes lifted from a scowl to a curious look as Jack waved to her with his entire arm, drawing the attention of half the Hufflepuff table. Merida smiled, shaking her head a bit. How on earth did that boy pull off so many pranks when he was so bad at being inconspicuous?

Her friends proceeded to spend much of their meal time trying to sign everything they were talking about. Merida could not understand a single one, but the thought was sweet and it was pretty amusing watching Jack try to silently communicate with her. Hiccup and Rapunzel were too busy trying not to laugh to join him.

As the main feast was cleared, making way for the dessert that would follow shortly, North stepped up to the podium at the front of the dais to address the school. the loud and continuous chatter that usually filled the hall faded to quiet and curious whispers as everyone's attention was drawn to the Deputy Headmaster.

"Good evening, children. I hope these first days of classes have been enjoyable for all of you." North began, smiling at the crowded hall. "I am pleased to say that I have an announcement that I think you will all find very exciting. Professor Bunnymund has offered to be the head of a new Dueling Club."

The hall instantly exploded into excited whispers and a few shouts of approval from a couple of seventh years. Jack brightened tremendously, and Hiccup and Rapunzel looked rather curious about the idea. Merida lifted her chin from her fist and looked at the Professor with utter awe and curiosity. North took this time to step out from behind the podium and motion Bunnymund forward.

"Now, settle down, all of you." Bunnymund called out to grab all of their attentions. "As some of you may know, the Dueling Club here at Hogwarts has been offered on and off for the past couple of years for various reasons, but I don't want anyone showing up thinking they're not going to have to work. This club is going to push you in the hopes of making you stronger witches and wizards. Students from all Houses are welcome, and our first meeting will be in three weeks time. If you have any questions or want to sign up come see me tomorrow morning during my tutoring hours."

After his rather short announcement, Bunnymund returned to his seat along with North, the two talking about something under their breaths, but Merida was too excited to pay any attention. Dueling Club! There was no way she was going to miss out on that!

Merida looked over at the others and instantly knew that they were thinking the same thing because they ere already looking at her and nodded enthusiastically at her as she raised her eyebrows at them. She grinned in return.

Well, at least she knew what they were going to be doing after breakfast tomorrow.


	5. Care of Magical Creatures

_NOTES:_ Pride is Petty, Humility is Honored.

**Chapter 5: Care of Magical Creatures**

Merida tiptoed down the halls, peeking around corners and peeking into doorways before she dared to pass them. She was sneaking towards the library, and would probably get an earful for it later, but Merida simply could not handle another Princess Lesson. She needed some time and space to relax.

The days had been long and slow through the first week of classes, well, at least they had been for Merida. It was only Thursday evening, and she had practically ran out of the classroom to avoid being caught by her mother after classes. Merida had taken an extra half-hour to take the long route to the library, sneaking along quietly in the hopes of meeting up with her friends.

Merida sighed in relief as she finally turned the last corner to see the large doors of the library just a little ways down the hall. She looked around carefully one last time, and was about to waltz right into the library, when something made her pause mid-step altogether, raising her eyebrows and her lips quirking up into a confused half-smile.

There was a chicken in the middle of the hallway. It was just standing there, and then Jack came hurrying out of the library. He snatched the chicken up into his arms and darted back into the library as the chicken balked at him for trying to cover it with his robes.

Utterly confused, Merida followed after her friend and opted to ask Rapunzel or Hiccup about Jack's strange behavior and his new... pet?

Merida entered the library and went up the stairs to their usual spot. Rapunzel sat at the table, her back to Merida as she watched Hiccup and Jack struggling with two chickens and what looked like a makeshift pen that was constructed entirely out of library books.

Merida walked over and stood next to Rapunzel, tilting her head as they watched Hiccup and the brown chicken watch Jack struggling to grab the flailing white chicken that was trying to escape. Jack had managed to grab one of the white chicken's legs, but the chicken proceeded to peck the top of his head while still flailing it's wings all about.

"Uhh... What's going on here?" Merida asked Rapunzel cautiously, not taking her eyes off of Jack and the chicken.

"I don't know why, exactly, but Jack and Hiccup have a bet going on who can keep a chicken in the school longer without getting caught by a professor." Rapunzel told her, also keeping her eyes on the battling Winter Sprite and chicken.

"Okay..." Merida drew out the word as she slid into the seat next to Rapunzel, finally tearing her eyes away long enough to look at the other girl.

"Anyways," Rapunzel said, shaking her head and looking away from the spectacle before them so she could look at Merida. "I'm happy to see you! I thought your mom would want you for your Lessons every afternoon after classes."

"Well..." Merida cringed, avoiding Rapunzel's eyes as she squinted curiously at her.

"Merida? Are you supposed to be with your mom right now?" Rapunzel shot a quick look over her shoulder, as if she were worried someone might over hear, and dropped her voice to a whisper.

"Technically? Yes. But I just couldn't handle another one of her Lessons! I'm exhausted, running around to watch all of the Gathering's competitions and plays and speeches, and having to take classes and Princess Lessons! I haven't been able to see any of you outside of classes and meal times for almost a week now! I just needed some time and space to myself, is all." Merida confided in her friend as one of the chickens let out a particularly loud balk and Jack yelped in pain.

"It does sound pretty tiring." Rapunzel agreed sympathetically. "I just wish I knew of some way to help." She reached out and placed a comforting hand on Merida's shoulder.

"I just wish she would let me grow up in my own time. It's like she expects me to be just like her, but I'm not ready for any of this! And I feel like we never get to see each other anymore." Merida nodded towards the boys. Jack had finally managed to pin down the wings of the white chicken, and Hiccup just looked amused as the brown chicken started to peck it's way towards the stairs again.

"We still see each other in class." Rapunzel pointed out hopefully. "And what about the Hogsmeade trip coming up? We're finally old enough to go!"

"Yeah, if mom will let me," Merida said, slumping back in her chair as a slight scowl crossed her features.

"You know," Jack said, putting the white chicken in the pen with a satisfied nod as he dusted off his hands and then turned to the girls. "It never hurts to ask. You just need to have a good argument planned in advance!"

"Jack's right; you should ask and see if you can convince her. It wasn't exactly easy getting my dad to sign the papers, but he did, once I actually managed to talk to him, that is..." Hiccup scratched the back of his head awkwardly as he looked at the floor, seemingly remembering that moment between him and his dad.

"And if you can't go then... Then neither will I." Rapunzel stated boldly. "Our first trip to Hogsmeade just wouldn't be the same if we aren't all going."

"Rapunzel's right. Besides there will be plenty of Hogsmeade trips this year. They do one almost every other weekend. We'll just have to wait for the one that your mom says yes to." Jack agreed.

"Yeah. Who knows? Maybe by then Jack will have realized that he caught the wrong chicken." Hiccup smirked widely.

Jack picked up the white chicken from the book-pen and his eyes bulged slightly. He threw the chicken over his head and went running for his brown chicken that was, once again, heading straight for the library entrance. The girls laughed and Hiccup caught his falling chicken with ease, placing it back in the pen.

Merida chuckled, happy for her friends' encouragement and care. "Thanks, I really appreciate the thought, but all of you should go to Hogsmeade whether I can go or not. Someone has to bring me back some of that famous candy!"

Her friends didn't look too happy about the idea, but they agreed after a little more convincing, which was enough to make Merida happy. She didn't want her friends to give up a possible adventure just because she couldn't come. No matter how much she wanted to go with them. She just had to hope for the best and that her mother would let her go.

Luckily, their hidden spot in the library was the perfect hiding place. It was like their own secret club where no one, not even Merida's mother, could find them. They spent a good four hours in their own world where it was just the four of them, laughing and doing their homework as Jack battled with his chicken.

However, as it always did, reality caught up to them and the four had to join the rest of the school for dinner. As Merida predicted, her mother was upon her just five minutes after leaving the library and dragged her away to talk with one of the Lords while her friends were left to their own devices.

The next morning Merida made a point of sneaking off so she could sit with the others at breakfast, which lifted her spirits a little because it had been a while since the four of them had been able to eat all together.

Her classes seemed to pass a little faster with how relaxing her morning was, and Merida was incredibly happy when it finally came time for Care of Magical Creatures. The four met in the hallways on their way outside and grinned at each other as they all hurried down the steep hill towards the Grounds Keeper's hut.

By the time they arrived a group of third-years was already forming in front of the hut's front porch where the large Grounds Keeper, Mr. Crood, stood counting heads as more children arrived. The four quickly joined the growing crowd as Mr. Crood grinned and nodded in satisfaction as he saw a few straggling students coming down the hill.

"That's it, gather around!" He called to all of them. "I've got a real treat for your first class!"

Merida couldn't help but notice that all three of the Lords' sons were there as well and she quickly ducked behind her three friends, hoping that the boys wouldn't notice her.

"Now," Mr. Crood said, clapping his hands together and stepping off the porch to stand next to a large crate that was poked with holes. "Since this is only your first class, we're going to start off with something small and relatively friendly." Mr. Crood announced, opening the top of the crate and reaching inside so he could pick up a small, fluffy creature. "This is a Niffler."

The Niffler was incredibly cute. It had black, fluffy fur and a fluffy little tail. It looked like an unusually large mole, except it's snout was much longer and it's big ears that were almost bigger than it's head. The Niffler's little eyes shone happily as it sniffed all over Mr. Crood's large hands.

"Can anyone tell me what Niffler's are most commonly trained for?" Mr. Crood asked, looking around the large group of children as he slowly passed each of them, showing them the cute little creature.

A Hufflepuff, Fishlegs if Merida remembered correctly, raised his hand excitedly. "Their keen sense of smell and their natural attraction to shiny objects makes them excellent treasure hunters. Goblins and Explorers will keep them and train them to find treasure for them deep in the earth."

"That is correct." Mr. Crood nodded.

"Cool." A blonde Gryffindor, Tuffnut, said as he peered over Fishleg's shoulder at the small creature.

"Now, while these little guys are gentle, and even affectionate at times, they can be very destructive to belongings and should never be kept in a house. They live in lairs up to twenty feet below the surface and can produce six to eight young in a litter." Mr. Crood informed them as he finished showing the Niffler to all of the students and then proceeded to place him back in the crate. "Why don't you all become acquainted with them, eh? Don't grab at them, just hold out your hands and they'll come to sniff at you."

Opening a latch, Mr. Crood lifted the side wall of the crate and about twenty Niffler's scuttled out at varying speeds. Some were incredibly curious about that students, and others were a little more wary, lingering inside the crate and peering out at the crowd of children.

Merida knelt down along with her friends and held out her hand. Everyone was whispering and giggling about how cute they were, or hoping that one of them would come to their hand. Merida couldn't help but laugh as the one Mr. Crood had shown to everyone came right over to the four. It sniffed at each of their fingers for a bit before deciding that it liked Hiccup best and climbing up into his hands, forcing Hiccup to hold him.

"Aww, he likes you!" Rapunzel giggled as Hiccup scratched the Niffler's chin.

"He likes to climb, that's for sure." Hiccup mumbled as the Niffler started to crawl it's way up his sleeve to his shoulder. At the same time, another Niffler came over and started sniffing Hiccup's knee.

"Why do animals like you so much? Even the chickens liked you more than me!" Jack exclaimed in mock devastation.

"Maybe because I'm not a sore loser. You lost that bet fair and square, don't blame it on me that you can't sneak a chicken into your common rooms." Hiccup retorted and Jack ruffled Hiccup's hair, causing Hiccup to duck his head down a bit which made the Niffler squeak in indignation.

Eventually, a handful of the Nifflers had managed to wriggle out of the circle and into the garden, prompting a Niffler hunt from the students, which was actually quite a lot of fun. Merida, Jack, Rapunzel, Hiccup, Ruffnut and Tuffnut whom Merida knew from Gryffindor, and a Slytherin boy named Snotlout were searching through the pumpkin patch when Young Macintosh decided to come and interrupt by pulling Merida over next to him by the arm.

"Careful, Princess. You can't trust a Viking, especially when it comes to Royalty." Young Macintosh sniffed, glaring at the Slytherin boy who didn't look too happy about it.

"You got something to say, pretty boy? Why don't you say it to my face like a man? Or are you Scotts just a bunch of cowards?" Snotlout taunted and his loud remarks had grabbed the attention of the twins.

Merida yanked her arm free from Macintosh's grip, intent on apologizing because she knew that the twins came from the same Tribe as Snotlout, and even though she didn't know any of them that well, the twins were part of her Quidditch team and Snotlout had never done anything to her personally.

"Guys, come on. Don't fight, it's not worth it." Hiccup said, now holding a Niffler with both hands while two hung on each of his shoulders and the very first Niffler had moved to sit comfortably on his head.

"Shut up, loser, this is about pride! Something you obviously know nothing about." Snotlout spat.

"Hey, why don't you pick on someone your own size." Jack growled, ready to jump in and defend Hiccup, but Rapunzel reached out a grabbed his shoulder.

"Not helping, Jack." She muttered, glancing at Snotlout and Macintosh as they glared heatedly at each other. The twins were brandishing their fists as wide grins stretched across their faces.

"Enough!" Merida snapped. Everyone froze and looked at her. Suddenly on the spot, Merida rushed to calm the situation while she had the chance. Her mother's lessons were detention enough, she didn't need anymore because of a fight breaking out in the middle of class. "I don't need your protection, or your stupid comments." She glared at Macintosh. She turned to the Vikings and dipped her head in a respectful bow, but only her head. She was still the crowned princess, which meant she out-ranked them all. "Sorry. That was uncalled for."

Merida jabbed her elbow into Macintosh's gut, making him gasp and clutch at his side. After he took a moment to collect himself, Macintosh growled what sounded like an apology, and the Vikings snorted.

"Whatever." Snotlout muttered, rolling his eyes, but he did give Merida an almost imperceptible nod as he turned and left with the twins.

Merida lead her friends away from Macintosh, back towards Mr. Crood's hut and she was thankful that her friends waited until they were out of hearing range to start talking again.

"Merida, that was incredible!" Rapunzel gushed as soon as they were away from the scene.

"Gotta admit, it was pretty cool." Jack agreed.

"Someone had to stop them, and I'm pretty sure I was the only one any of them were gonna listen to, anyways." Merida shrugged. "Come on, let's give those Nifflers to Mr. Crood and get back to hunting... Somewhere besides the pumpkin patch." She added after a moments thought.

The four made their way over to the teacher who was too distracted helping other students to have noticed the little spat. By the time they were standing in front of him, Hiccup had somehow acquired three more.

One on his head, two on his shoulders, three in his arms, and a rather large, chubby one in his robe's left outside pocket.


	6. Dueling Club

_NOTES:_ You didn't forget about Bunnymund's snowman, did you?

**Chapter 6: Dueling Club**

Merida was internally screaming as she glared down at the parchment before her. Her hand ached as if she had been taking notes all day, and she was exhausted enough to feel as if she had just gone through a whole day of school, but it was only Saturday morning. Early, too. Because a Princess rises early, according to her mother.

Merida was supposed to be practicing her calligraphy as her mother lectured her on the importance of proper wording in a letter. You must be formal, but not too formal. You must show respect, but also demand it. You must be kind, but firm. Without a proper balance between all these things, one letter could start a war.

The whole thing was really just annoying. Couldn't she have one day to herself? To do what she wanted and be with the people she actually liked being around?

 _"Whatever I did to deserve this torture, I am so, so sorry."_ Merida mentally apologized to the universe, silently wishing for mercy as her mother droned on and on and on.

"Elinor!" It seemed the universe decided she'd suffered enough. "Elinor! The Lords want to speak with us over lunch about the trading rights." King Fergus huffed grumpily and rolled his eyes, obviously displeased by the idea, but the Queen only nodded.

"I'm sure they've good reason. The trading rights haven't been discussed in almost five years. It's about time we renewed them." Elinor replied calmly, closing her book and placing it on the table next to her.

"Ah, Elinor!" Fergus groaned and whined, but the Queen ignored him and turned to Merida who had lifted her head as hope pooled in her chest.

"It seems this lesson will have to wait, Merida. Why don't you spend some time on your schoolwork?" Elinor suggested, taking Fergus's arm as they walked towards the door. "The trading rights are always difficult, so we'll just have to continue this some other day."

After that the King and Queen gave their daughter a simple farewell for the time being and left the room. Merida, though, jumped from her seat and ran to grab her wand from her mother's desk where it was kept during all of their lessons because otherwise Merida would get distracted.

Within a few moments, Merida was out of her family's suite and running down the hallway, fully intent on going to the library to meet up with her friends, but she skidded to a stop when she rounded a corner to see her friends lounging about with wide grins on their faces. Jack was leaning back against the wall, Hiccup sat next to him, and Rapunzel stood in front of them.

"What's going on?" Merida drawled, a slow smile spreading across her face.

"Oh, nothing." Rapunzel sang and then bit her lip in an attempt to hide her smile, but it didn't quite work.

"We were just on our way to the library after dropping off a very important looking document about trading rights on Lord MacGuffin's desk. He must have dropped it in the hall or something, and us, being the good-natured students we are, thought it best to remind him of such an important thing." Jack shrugged innocently.

"But since you seem to have finished your lesson early, why don't we go have a look at Professor Bunnymund's Dueling Club? The first meeting starts in ten minutes and Jack said he'd give me a cauldron cake if I went with you guys." Hiccup added in rather bluntly.

"How can you not be excited for Dueling Club? This is like the coolest thing since Quidditch!" Jack exclaimed, crossing his arms and pouting at Hiccup as he picked himself up off the floor.

"It's just going to be a bunch of students trying to beat each other up, except now they have teacher permission for it. Oh, and magic, too. I'm sure this will end splendidly! Plenty of trips to the Hospital Wing. You'll get lots of practice from it, Rapunzel." Hiccup rolled his eyes, his sass dripping from every word as Rapunzel giggled and Jack pouted more.

At that moment, Merida lunged at her friends and caught all three of them in one giant hug that was too big for her arms to give, but she didn't really care. She felt so amazingly grateful and happy to have such absolutely brilliant friends. Friends who understood and helped her in any way they could.

"Thank you." She said, feeling their arms wrap around her to return the show of affection. "I owe you guys one."

"Owe us what? We didn't do anything." Rapunzel smiled as they pulled back from the hug.

"Honestly, Merida, I don't know what you're talking about." Jack shrugged again as he grinned deviously.

Merida chuckled at her friends' antics and grinned widely at them. "What do you say we get out of here before my mom changes her mind about the lesson?"

"Agreed!" Rapunzel grinned right back, linking arms with the Gryffindor.

The four laughed as they set off down the hall, running and joking with each other the whole way to Bunnymund's new classroom.

* * *

Dueling Club was like nothing Merida had ever seen. There were giant, wooden dummies on wheels that Bunnymund had them practice spells on in a huge circle, some of the older students were allowed to practice levitating a person as long as three people were performing the spell, and Bunnymund walked about the room, giving instruction and teaching students bits and tricks that would help them in a fight.

Merida and Jack threw themselves into every lesson, trying their hardest and refusing to give up until they got it right. Rapunzel practiced smaller spells, but was too nervous and shy to face the towering wood foe in the Practice Circles, so she stuck to the sides of the room and took advice from Bunnymund whenever she could get it. Hiccup had originally started out sitting on a bench, peacefully reading a book, until Bunnymund caught sight of him and gave him a rather bland glare. Hiccup had sighed and started practicing with Rapunzel.

It was all a lot of fun, for most of them, and once Jack gave Hiccup a cauldron cake from his bag and promised him another one later, Hiccup cheered up quite a bit. Rapunzel enjoyed learning everything she could from older students and Bunnymund, and Jack and Merida simply loved improving on their dueling skills. It was like they were Warriors from the Wars of Old, fighting for justice and goodness.

Time seemed to slip through their fingers as they had their fun, and laughed and learned with their classmates because all too soon the hour-and-a-half long meeting was drawing to a close. Bunnymund moved to the front of the room where the fireplace was and addressed with with a wide smile.

"Well, that's just about it for our first meeting," He said as the students gathered around to hear what he had to say. "I saw a lot of hard work and a lot of potential today. I hope I'll be seeing all of you next week for a continuation. But before I call this meeting to a close, I've decided to give you kids a treat." Professor Bunnymund smirked as he paused to let the crowd of students shift with excitement. "Since most of you haven't seen a proper duel before, let's have a little presentation of what you'll be doing eventually, eh?"

Excitement lit the room as all of the students started whispering and a few cheers met Bunnymund's suggestion. Several of the seventh and sixth year students shouted for Bunnymund to pick them, but he shook his head.

"Now, I'd like a couple of students who are old enough to not accidentally make someone explode, but are young enough that they won't know any of the more harmful spells... Second years, third years?" Bunnymund raised an eyebrow and hands shot up excitedly.

Almost all of the third year hands shot up, with the exception of a few including Hiccup and Rapunzel, and a few wayward second years jumped at the chance as well, standing on their tiptoes and quietly muttering 'me, me, pick me!'.

"Alright, let's have... Macintosh." Bunnymund pointed to the Scott and he puffed out his chest, strutting like a peacock. Merida rolled her eyes, utterly embarrassed. "And..." The Pooka drawled as his eyes scanned the crowd of students. "Hiccup!"

Everyone turned towards them, and, even though she was a bit disappointed, Merida looked at Hiccup excitedly, only to find that her Ravenclaw friend looked really annoyed. Even so, he and Macintosh were pushed to the center of the room and everyone else pulled back to the sides to watch the duel.

Bunnymund stood between them, smirking somewhat smugly, and began to go over the rules with them. "Now I don't want anything too exciting. Disarming spells only, understood? First to drop their wand loses." After that, Bunnymund stepped back to a safe distance. "Wands at the ready!"

Both boys lifted their wands, holding it in front of them so that the other could see it. Macintosh smirked confidently while Hiccup's free hand twitched at his side. Merida watched as the two boys turned away from each other, took three strides, and then turned and took up their dueling stances.

"1..." Bunnymund called out, and Merida's breath hitched to a stop. "2..." Rapunzel gripped her and Jack's hands tightly as she watched with wide, terrified eyes and bit her lip. "3!"

"Confundo!" Macintosh shouted, throwing his wand hand forward and shooting the first spell. Hiccup blocked it, but the force of it made him stumble backwards a little. "Confundo!" Macintosh shouted again, and Hiccup ducked to the side.

"I said Disarming Charms only!" Bunnymund shouted at them.

"Expelliarmus!" Hiccup shot back at Macintosh, but the taller boy blocked it and sent the same spell back at him.

The spell hit Hiccup's free hand, so he didn't lose his wand, but his shoulder took quite the hit. Hiccup flipped backwards and landed hard on his side, but managed to keep his wand in hand. He stumbled to his feet and backed up a few paces, looking a bit wild and maybe a little scared as Macintosh advanced on him. Like a cornered alley cat or something.

"Rictusempra!" Hiccup's wand sent a flourish of light at the over-confident lord and hit him straight on. Macintosh flew backwards, even flipping a few times in the air, and landed hard on his rump, but he held tightly to his wand.

Now Macintosh looked mad. He stomped to his feet, red in the face and glaring at Hiccup for all he was worth. Hiccup visibly paled and gulped, and Merida squeezed Rapunzel's hand right back.

"Come on, Hiccup! You can do it!" Jack cheered and a couple shouts of agreement went up, but Merida wasn't sure if Hiccup could hear anything outside of the duel now. His breathing was faster, much faster than it should be, and his eyes were wide. He was tense all over, and Merida worried that maybe he was having a panic attack.

"Everte Statum!" Macintosh called out, sending the spell flying at Hiccup. Merida was certain he could dodge it, but Hiccup didn't move. It was like he was frozen in place. The spell hit Hiccup right in the stomach and he flew backwards, landing so hard on his back that the momentum made him roll over onto his side, facing away from the crowd.

The sound of wood clanking against stone brought everyone's eyes to a few feet behind Hiccup where he had dropped his wand.

The twisted, black wand lay on the stone floor and Macintosh crowed in triumph, several others joining and congratulating him on his victory, but Merida didn't care. She, Jack, and Rapunzel ran over to Hiccup. Jack grabbed Hiccup's wand on the way over, and together the three of them helped Hiccup into a sitting position with Rapunzel on his left, Jack on his right, and Merida sat on her knees in front of him.

"Are you okay?" Rapunzel asked him worriedly as he groaned and wrapped his arms around his stomach, pulling his knees close to his chest and tucking his head down behind them.

"I have a really bad headache." He mumbled, and Merida couldn't help but notice that he was trembling pretty bad.

"It's probably the adrenaline wearing off. We should get you some water and something to eat." Rapunzel said, checking things off on her fingers to make sure she was remembering everything they needed to do in this type of situation.

"Let's get him back on his feet first. Come on." Jack grunted a little as he pulled on Hiccup's arm and helped the other boy to stand. Hiccup stumbled as soon as he was on his feet, so Jack ducked under one of his arms and supported him. Rapunzel fussed over him with her healing knowledge, and Merida felt pretty useless in that moment, so she pulled out a small water flask she kept on hand and gave it to Hiccup.

"Here, drink." She said, Hiccup looked at her gratefully before taking the flask and having a drink.

As Merida, Jack, and Rapunzel helped to steady Hiccup on his feet the students filtered out of the hall. The first group to leave being the celebrating gaggle of boys that surrounded the preening Young Macintosh, and everyone else slowly followed. Several of their friends patted Hiccup on the back or told him he did really well for his first duel, which was nice, but Merida was pretty sure that Hiccup was just happy it was over.

"Alright, run along you lot. I'll look after this one." Bunnymund told them, nodding at Hiccup who gave him a rather dry look.

"But, sir." Rapunzel started. They all wanted to protest, but Bunnymund held up a hand.

"I have to check for a concussion or other possible injury. School Policy. Besides, it's lunch time, so you three can go save him a seat and some food." Bunnymund told them.

Merida looked at the others, uncertain of what to do. Rapunzel looked as lost as she felt, and Jack looked like he was completely against the idea, but then he shared a look with Hiccup who shrugged.

"Go on ahead, you guys, I'll catch up." Hiccup said, slowly walking over to Bunnymund and then turning back to give them a small, wry smile. "This shouldn't take long. I think Professor Bunnymund just wants an excuse to talk to me about my dueling."

There was a somewhat long pause between them because Merida didn't want to leave Hiccup alone after that intense duel, especially after seeing how it affected Hiccup. Still, she guessed they shouldn't have been too surprised. Hiccup was a peaceful person. She'd only seen him lose his cool twice the whole time they'd been friends. Fighting just didn't agree with the little guy, and, from what Merida could see, he didn't like it.

"You could've thrashed him if he hadn't cheated." Jack finally broke the silence, throwing his arms behind his head. "We'll save you some food. And I've got three cauldron cakes with your name on them. You've earned them." Jack grinned, and Hiccup's eyes lit up as he licked his lips.

Rapunzel giggled. "Don't be too long. We've still got the rest of the day to do stuff together."

Hiccup nodded and waved to them as he three departed from the Dueling Hall. As Merida walked with her other two friends, she couldn't help but wonder why Bunnymund had chosen Hiccup for the duel in the first place. Maybe it was just her imagination, but sometimes Merida swore she could see some kind of argument going on between the two. What it was about, she wasn't sure, but it made her curious as to what the Professor could want from Hiccup.

Merida shook those thoughts from her head and focused on the conversation Jack and Rapunzel were having. It was utterly ridiculous to think that Bunnymund would have any kind of hidden agenda for Hiccup, besides, Hiccup was too quiet and shy to attract much attention to himself. It was probably just her imagination getting the better of her. One's creativity tended to do that when hours of their day was devoted to their mother's boring princess lessons.

But even so, that night, when Merida was asleep, she dreamed of fire...


	7. Feelings of Isolation

_NOTES:_ Fragile Threads, Fragile Threads, Whatever shall we do with all these Threads?

**Chapter 7: Feelings of Isolation**

Weeks passed after that. Merida found that her mother had caught on to her escape routes after classes, and so the short-lived freedom was gone. Merida spent her mornings in class, her meals on the dais with her family, the Lords, and her teachers, and afternoons were filled with princess lessons. She hardly ever got a moment with her friends anymore, and they usually had to settle for being together in class.

Lucky for Merida, though, her father was thrilled to hear about Dueling Club and insisted she keep going. Her mother had no choice but to give her the time off, which Merida was endlessly grateful for.

More often than not Merida found her boredom lead her to thoughts of her friends. She missed them. She saw the other Gryffindors more often than she saw the others, and it made her squirm. She didn't like not being able to see her friends and talk to them and laugh with them. Their first two years they had spent entirely together. Even fought off Daren and his friends for trying to ruin their friendship. Now Merida just felt like another red tie in the hallways.

She'd never say it out loud, but Merida was lonely. Their friendship meant so much to her. It meant someone cared. It meant she had a place somewhere, she meant something to someone. She was more than just a Princess, more than just a Gryffindor. She wasn't the picture-perfect copy of her mother that all of Scotland expected her to be.

Not even Quidditch could make her feel quite like that, and Quidditch was one of her favorite things! It even took more of her time away from Princess Lessons with her mom. But if given the choice, Merida would've chosen her friends over preparing for the first game of the season. Camicazi and Eep seemed to notice it during practices, too, but they never commented on it. They would occasionally give her sympathetic glances, though, which made Merida feel a bit better, knowing that the older girls at least partially understood what a hard time she was having.

These were the reasons why, when it was finally time for Divination class again, Merida found herself walking quite a bit faster than the other students, and then giving up the facade of patience when she caught sight of Rapunzel's braid and Jack's snowy-colored hair. She ran down the hallway and would have fell over when she came skidding to a stop if all three of her friends hadn't reached out to steady her.

"Excited for Divination?" Rapunzel giggled when Merida turned to them, her hair tumbling all about and her breathing slightly labored from her sudden sprint.

"Well, of course she is! She's at the top of the class!" Jack pointed out, a slight pout taking over his features as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"That's not the only reason!" Merida argued, blushing slightly.

It was no secret that Merida had taken to Divination like a fish to water. Professor Robinson quickly discovered this and would always turn to her if the others were having trouble making predictions or answering certain questions. Her friends were convinced she had the Gift of Visions and Sight, but Merida brushed them off, telling them it was just a fun class and that was all. Which was true, for the most part, Divination had quickly become Merida's favorite subject because it was fun and interesting, the teacher was great, and, as an added bonus, all three of her friends were in the class with her.

Before anyone could say anything else, Professor Robinson showed up, running exactly ten minutes late, just like always. She opened the door and the students filed into the classroom. They all found their seats as Professor Robinson set her bag on the table and pulled out a stack of small books.

"Now, as promised, today we will be looking at each others tea leaves, so while I am giving my lecture I want you all to pour yourselves some tea and drink it. It's a pleasant mint flavor, by the way." She added as the students began following her instructions.

On each table there was a tea pot and two or three cups with saucers. Each table had a different set with different colors and designs, and a couple of the cups and saucers didn't match, but Merida enjoyed all of the different tea sets.

Rapunzel poured their tea, being much better at it than Merida, and didn't spill a single drop, which Merida thought was rather impressive. Soon the room smelled of mint and the warm tea was very soothing after being so stressed those past few weeks.

"Very good. Now, what I have here is something we'll be starting in a few weeks, which is Dream Interpretation. I want each of you to keep a Dream Journal. Write down anything you can remember, whether you think it's prophetic or not, and bring it to each class because you'll never know when I'll ask for it." Professor Robinson grinned mischievously and used her wand to send the journals floating out to each of the students. "This will be one of your hardest assignments, but for some of you -" She paused, letting her eyes drift to Merida, then to a few other students. "-it may be a good way to determine whether or not you have the Sight."

Merida took her journal looking curious. This sounded interesting, and if Professor Robinson thought she should give it a try then she would. Merida looked at her friends and found that Rapunzel looked as curious as she felt, Jack was mumbling something about never being able to remember and empty journal, and Hiccup didn't look too thrilled at all.

Soon after that Professor Robinson finished her lecture and told them to finish their tea while she finished writing notes on the black board. Merida was thankful for the extra time because she still had more than half her cup left.

Naturally, all of the students started to chat between sipping their tea, so Merida turned to her friends and decided to ask them what they had been up to for the past couple of weeks, seeing as their lives had been turned upside down and they now spent the majority of their time apart.

"Well, I've been really busy helping at the Infirmary with Dr. Sweet. He says I'm getting really good at all the spells he's been teaching me. He says that soon I'll be good enough to start practicing more intermediate level spells." Rapunzel replied, smiling happily.

"That's great, Punzie. It must be a lot of fun then," Merida said, happy that Rapunzel was having such a could time helping in the Hospital Wing.

"Oh, it really is! Dr. Sweet even said that maybe the next time he sends Nurse Eudora to The City of Magic for the special herbs I might get to go with her!" Rapunzel told them excitedly.

"Wow, that's where the Ministry of Magic is! And the Aurors' Headquarters! Wish I could go." Jack leaned onto his elbows that were resting on the table he shared with Hiccup so he could get closer to the conversation.

"It's certainly an honor." Hiccup agreed, subtly moving the tea pot so Jack wouldn't knock it off the table and break it, spilling tea everywhere.

"From what I've heard you two have gotten into enough trouble just here at Hogwarts." Rapunzel crossed her arms, looking up at the boys with a raised eyebrow and a sneaky smirk.

Jack and Hiccup at least had the decency to look a little sheepish, seeing as more than half of the school's male population now had pink hair because of the dye the two had put in the second floor's shampoo supply.

"It'll wash out!" Jack reassured them, but he could barely contain his giggles, and Hiccup snorted at him.

Some of the boys sitting near by must have guessed what they were talking about because they either glared or gave Jack and Hiccup a thumbs-up and a grin. At least what Jack said was true, and most of the dye had already faded from their heads after three days, leaving only small locks of hair and hard to reach places still colored by the sparkly pink mixture they had made up.

"Should I even ask what else you've been doing with your time, or should I not hear this in case I get in trouble for being an accomplice?" Merida eyed them suspiciously, but her grin was making it hard for even her to take herself seriously.

"Don't worry, Bunnymund's already given us detention for everything he knows about." Jack waved her off.

"An the stuff he doesn't know about?" Rapunzel raised her eyebrows at him.

"What Professor Bunnymund doesn't know won't hurt him. It's not like our adventures effect anyone besides us. It's the pranks he cares about, anyways." Hiccup shrugged.

"Where do you two even find the time to do these kinds of things?" Merida wanted to know.

Jack looked around to make sure no one was listening or paying attention to them, and then leaned down close. "Big castle. Even with the teachers and Prefects patrolling at night it's pretty easy to get around. Especially if you know about the secret passages." Jack whispered.

"Alright, what have you been doing that doesn't involve breaking school rules?" Merida asked, deciding that it was probably better if they didn't continue this in the middle of class, surrounded by plenty of ears that could possibly overhear them.

"Hm, well..." Jack looked thoughtful for a moment, rubbing his chin as he racked his brain, and then looked at Hiccup who shrugged.

"Oh, honestly! That's all you two have been doing?!" Merida exclaimed.

"Well, I have Quidditch training, but I figured you already knew that!" Jack retaliated. "But I guess I have been hanging out with Professor North after Charms. He's been giving me extra lessons with my staff."

"You've been having trouble with your staff?" Rapunzel inquired worriedly, but Jack shook his head.

"No, I've been doing really well according to most of my teachers, but North offered and I wasn't gonna say no to special training. Besides, it's only for a few minutes after Charms, maybe fifteen, tops? Sometimes half an hour when we get carried away." Jack explained.

"I guess Professor Robinson isn't the only one who's found a favorite student." Merida smirked, Jack gave her a rather dry glare.

"No, Professor North just offered to help because he knows I want to be an Auror when I graduate, and the testing for Aurors are some of the hardest in the world." Jack reasoned, but Merida just rolled her eyes. "But other than that, I've been hanging out with Hiccup and the other guys."

"The guys?" Rapunzel voiced the question on both their minds.

"Yeah, Hiccup, Jim, Flynn, and I have been hanging out a lot. Sometimes Tadashi will come along, too, but he's gonna be Quidditch Captain next year because Buddy Pine is graduating this Spring, so he's pretty busy." Jack told them.

"It's fun. We end up in the courtyards a lot, usually to throw around a Spark Ball." Hiccup gave a smile. "Aside from that, Mr. Crood has been letting me help with the creatures. I help him feed them, and he lets me hang out with them any time I want. He even mentioned the possibility of digging up an extra key so he wouldn't need to be constantly unlocking everything for me."

"Well, that doesn't surprise me much. The only teacher who seems suspicious of you is Professor Bunnymund." Merida commented, watching Hiccup closely for any kind of reaction, but his face was blank. He was like a statue, Merida couldn't see any emotion on his face at all.

Hiccup shrugged, his face still impassive. "Let Bunnymund do what he wants. I'm more worried about your situation. How's your mom?"

Merida frowned, glaring down at her near-empty cup. "Infuriating. Constantly expecting more. Never listens. But what else is new?"

"That bad, huh?" Rapunzel reached out and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I don't want to talk about it." Merida sighed, and her friends seemed to accept this pretty easily since they were in the middle of class, but they did look worried. Merida didn't bother trying to reassure them with a smile because she knew she couldn't manage a convincing one, but she resolved herself to talking with them the next time she got the chance to do so freely.

"Okay, that should be plenty of time to have finished your tea." Professor Robinson said, turning around to face the class as several students downed half a cup of tea to make up for the time they spent talking. Jack being one of them. "Now trade cups with your partner and see what you can find." Professor Robinson instructed, moving to the opposite side of the room as Merida and Rapunzel's table.

Merida took Rapunzel's cup, secretly very thankful for the distraction, and threw herself into the work of predicting something for Rapunzel. As she worked, though, her mind was plagued with worry and uncertainty. She felt like she had missed so much in just the past few weeks. Everything was changing really fast, and not for the better. She felt so separated from her friends sometimes, it was like she was on the outside looking in. They never saw each other any more, and Merida was missing everything!

And the only person to blame for that was her mother.


	8. Hogsmeade Village

**WARNING!:** there is vomiting in this chapter, so if you're squeamish you now know.

 _NOTES:_ What do you do when you don't know what to do anymore?

**Chapter 8: Hogsmeade Village**

A few days passed, and Merida found herself wallowing in her own self pity as the exciting day of the Hogsmeade Trip finally arrived. Everyone was going. Everyone was going to see the town, get lunch, buy a ton of candy, and have the best time ever.

Except her.

She had done everything she could think of. For weeks she had begged, pleaded, bargained, and even promised to work extra hard at her princess lessons if her mother would just let her go to Hogsmeade this one time. Needless to say, her mother had decided to be stubborn about the whole thing and had refused to let Merida go with the other students to Hogsmeade.

When her friends had found out that morning at breakfast, they had immediately started talking about staying and using the time to hang out with all four of them instead, but Merida refused to let them miss out on the trip for her sake and simply told them to bring her back some candy like they had agreed earlier.

Now, Merida watched from afar as all of the third-years and up got in line for the horse-drawn carriages that were bringing the students to the large village across the lake. She tried not to let the fact that she was the only third-year not going to Hogsmeade bother her, but she had been so excited about everything she had planned to do with her friends.

They had planned to go see the Shrieking Shack together! And the candy shop was legendary at the school!

Merida couldn't help the self-pity that overcame her as she watched the seventh-years climbing into carriages, and, by extension, the following self-loathing she felt for being so upset over something so trivial.

However, the angrier part of herself argued, lately her whole life had been made of extremes. No in-betweens, or grey areas. No average days of nothing particularly exciting happening on either side of the good-bad spectrum. It was one or the other, no questions asked. And, sadly, it seemed as if her life was, more often than not, swung towards the bad side of the pendulum.

Merida sighed, looking away from the gathering of students in the hopes of finding something else to set her thoughts on. She sat on a stone bench on the opposite side of the courtyard and on the inside of the open hall that circled the courtyard, offering a shelter from the sun, rain, or snow depending on the season, but also allowing for a lovely view of the main courtyard.

Merida knew she shouldn't be watching her friends leave without her, it would only make her more depressed, but she had nothing better to do with her time. Her mother, in the hopes of pacifying her enough to make her stop asking about the Hogsmeade trip, had given her the day off of Princess Lessons. Not that it did much at all. Either way Merida was going to be bored out of her mind while the rest of her classmates were off on another adventure.

She was pulled from her thoughts when she heard voices coming down the hallway from somewhere inside the castle. Soon enough, the small door at the end of the hall Merida was seated in was pushed open and two of her fellow Gryffindors appeared from the entryway.

"...We're supposed to be training." Talia, a girl with long brown hair that was typically pulled up into a bun and amber eyes, looked slightly annoyed with the ginger-haired male that was with her. "I thought you wanted to be a Knight."

"Oh, come on, Talia. It's just a bit of fun, and we've been working really hard the past couple of weeks." Justin, a noble-hearted boy with bright blue eyes, told her.

Talia sighed heavily. "Alright, but you'd better be ready to work twice as hard when we get back." She warned him, but her soft smile took the bite out of her words and Justin nodded enthusiastically.

"I swear it! Nothing will distract me from training. I will be one-hundred percent, completely focus -Lara!" Justin cut himself off as he looked off into the courtyard and shouted towards someone.

Merida couldn't help but look at whoever had caught Justin's attention and found Lara, a Slytherin girl. All of Gryffindor knew that Justin had an especially strong crush on the blonde-haired beauty, and watching the boy run after her, trying to gain her attention, now made Merida sigh.

"Wha -? Justin!" Talia called after the boy, obviously not very pleased about being ditched, and crossed her arms grumpily when Justin started to strike up conversation with the other girl. "Why do I even bother?" She muttered.

"You and Justin have gotten rather close." Merida commented, walking over to stand next to Talia in the archway leading into the courtyard.

Talia glanced at her and then shrugged gruffly. "He's not a bad sort. Just a little scattered brained at times."

"I guess I'm just surprised. I never thought you, of all people, would want to spend so much time with the son of the most important lawyer in Gabylonia." Merida said slowly, not wanting to offend the other girl.

It was pretty common knowledge that Talia came from a more middle-class, like Jack and Tadashi, which wasn't very common in their currents times. Most everyone that attended Hogwarts came from high-class families that were either rich, well-known, royalty, or a combination of the three. Talia was notorious for her dislike of the Ministry of Magic and the modernism that it was spreading across all the kingdoms. Justin's father was the man who had Knights outlawed from the Kingdom of Gabylonia, gaining himself a rather high seat in the Ministry of Magic. Needless to say, despite being from the same Kingdom, Talia and Justin were a rather strange pair.

"I suppose I'm not one to talk, but you've never really gotten this close to anybody." Merida continued gently. Talia was a strange case. Merida didn't really know much about her, but she knew the other Gryffindor was nice. Talia would often hang out with Eep, Camicazi, Astrid sometimes, and even Merida herself, but she had always held everyone at arms-length until just a few weeks ago when Justin had approached her about something.

"I wouldn't call us close, really." Talia mumbled, suddenly very fidgety and awkward. "Justin... He just... Lets just say that I had given up on something pretty important, and then Justin convinced me to give it one more shot."

"There you are, lass! I was wondering where you'd gone off to with your day off!" King Fergus suddenly boomed in his loud voice from down the hall, making both girls jump at the noise.

"Hi, dad." Merida smiled lightly as her father waltzed right up to them and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Well, I'd better get going. Justin's going to hurt himself with how hard he's trying to impress Lady Lara." Talia rolled her eyes, but gave Merida a smile as she waved goodbye.

Merida watched sadly as the other Gryffindor girl ran towards the carriages with everyone else, renewing her sense of self-pity followed by self-loathing all over again. Her stomach was all knotted and she purposefully turned her face into the slight breeze to cool her face a little and ease the stinging feeling at the back of her eyes.

Fergus seemed to notice her sudden shift in moods and frowned. He looked out at the carriages, and then back down at his daughter who had yet to look at him since the other girl had left. The King knew that his little princess wasn't very pleased with the proposal and whatnot, and the lass had been butting heads with her mother since the day they arrived. He just wished he could make things easier for the both of them, but they both wanted completely different things, and, sadly, in this situation he could not give them both.

Fergus sighed, and then steeled himself. Elinor was going to have a fit when she found out.

"Uh... Lass, why don't you go join your friends for the day?" Fergus suggested quietly, leaning down so he could be closer to his daughter.

Merida turned wide eyes towards him, disbelieving of what she was hearing. "Really?" She asked.

"Aye." Fergus nodded, then lowered his voice to a whisper as he blocked his mouth with one hand. "I'll take care of your mother, you just go have some fun."

Merida positively beamed up at her father and threw her arms around his neck, squeezing him in a tight hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Fergus laughed as Merida released him and then ran to catch up with her friends, who were only now climbing into the last carriage as the last group to start their trip down to Hogsmeade. She shouted to them, calling for them to wait for her, and when they looked up their faces lit with bright smiles and excited shouts were returned to her.

Fergus smiled warmly as he watched the three other students greet her daughter so happily, and Merida couldn't stop smiling as her friends yanked her into the carriage with them, chattering excitedly and asking her questions. She tried to explain how amazing her father was, but she could barely keep up with the questions and her cheeks were hurting from smiling so much. She couldn't find it in herself to care, though. She felt so warm, so loved in that moment after being welcomed so happily, so brightly. It was a wonderful feeling, to know that they had missed her as much as she missed them.

As the carriage pulled out of the courtyard, Merida whipped around and waved to her father, smiling widely at him. He put a finger to his lips and motioned a key locking them. He wouldn't tell, so it was on her to not get caught.

Merida grinned and settled back into her seat, quickly explaining to her friends why she was suddenly allowed to go on the trip with them. By the time they reached the village, Merida's previous feelings were forgotten and replaced with the happiness and laughter that filled their carriage.

Hogsmeade Village did not disappoint the young wizards and witches one bit. They started with the Shrieking Shack, which was fun, but once Jack started suggesting they get a closer look, Rapunzel and Merida quickly reminded him of the the candy shop, Honeydukes, in the hopes of keeping him and Hiccup out of any trouble during their trip.

That plan flew out the window when the boys found Zonko's Joke Shop. No words were needed for them in that moment. The boys only grinned wickedly at each other before quickly disappearing inside.

Merida had only sighed, already feeling bad for poor Professor Bunnymund.

Merida and Rapunzel decided to just let them have their fun and wait for them by the front of the shop. Jim, Tadashi, Wasabi, and Honey Lemon happened to walk by the shop and spot them in the window. The older students gave them questioning looks through the glass window that separated them, but the two girls simply pointed at Jack and Hiccup who were so incredibly excited about everything in the shop they couldn't be bothered to notice their older friends outside.

Upon seeing the two boys, Jim started laughing so hard that Merida could hear him through the glass, Tadashi dropped his face into his hand, Wasabi looked a little nervous, and Honey Lemon looked just plain worried.

After spending more than an hour at the joke shop, Merida and Rapunzel managed to get the two boys to leave. However, they did insist on making a few select purchases, most of which they didn't show anyone. Something about it not being fun if it wasn't a surprise.

Eventually the four made it to Honeydukes, the infamous candy shop that was adored by all Hogwarts students. They all made plenty of purchases there, and they each left with their own bag full of different treats and goodies and such. Hiccup was excited to get a small box of cauldron cakes for himself, Jack bought as many packages of Every-Flavored Beans that he could get, Rapunzel picked out several different candies from lollipops to chocolate, and Merida favored the chocolate frogs not only because of the chocolate but because of the cards that came in every package.

They strolled along the streets of the village, looking at all of the different shops and places as they munched on barely a fraction of all the candy they had bought. They moved from window to window, taking peeks and gaping in amazement at everything around them.

"This place is so incredible!" Rapunzel exclaimed as they all walked side by side.

"I don't think it would've been this fun if we weren't all together," Jack said, giving Merida a light punch on the shoulder, to which she responded with a grin and a playful shove.

"Hey, Hiccup, what are you looking at?" Merida called as she and Jack chuckled at their short scuffle.

Noticing that the shortest of them had separated from the group, Jack and Rapunzel quickly scanned their surroundings until they followed Merida's gaze to where the Ravenclaw had gone. Just a few strides off to the side to look in the window of a little shop that was much quieter than any of the others.

"Tomes and Scrolls, huh?" Jack said as he walked up to stand next to Hiccup, reading the sign above the door.

"Sorry." Hiccup apologized, turning away from the books that had been put on display in the window. "I know a bookshop isn't much different from the library back at the school, but we don't have many books back home, and these look so much newer than the ones at school..."

Jack opened his mouth to say something, but the words died in his mouth as he was cut off by an all too familiar voice.

"Your Highness!"

Merida groaned, turning around to see all three of her suitors walking over to them. Macintosh looked rather confident, strutting about as if he owned the place while Dingwall looked as far away as ever, and MacGuffin looked nervous and a little shy.

"What do you want? Can't you see I'm trying to enjoy my freedom?" Merida demanded, wanting them to go away very, very quickly.

"But, your Highness, if we're to be engaged then shouldn't we be seen together in public?" Macintosh smiled dashingly and kissed her hand, but Merida yanked her hand away as her face burned with shame more than anything else.

"Now, hold on just a minute, you haven't won the competition yet! And who says you're gonna win?" Dingwall suddenly focused in more on what was happening around him, seemingly only interested if the affairs included him.

"Don't even try it, Dingwall! I'm obviously the best of the suitors. I'm surprised the King didn't hand choose me for the Princess." Macintosh bragged as Merida pretended to gag behind him, making Rapunzel giggle quietly.

MacGuffin jumped into the conversation, but no one understood a word he said, so Dingwall decided to continue on as if he'd been on his side the whole time.

"Yeah! What he said!" Dingwall shouted.

Soon all three of the Lords were arguing endlessly over who would win the Princess's hand, as if Merida wasn't even there. Her stomach tightened painfully, and suddenly she felt as if she were going to throw up.

She didn't want this. She didn't want any of it.

Merida slowly began to back away from the Lords, keeping quiet so they wouldn't hear her. Maybe she could dash into the alley behind her and find somewhere quiet in the village where she could let her stomach settle, maybe she could escape passed the Lords back the way they had come and go back to the Shrieking Shack where no one would bother her at this time.

Before she could do any of that, she felt a hand rest gently, comfortingly, on her shoulder. Looking to her right, Merida found Hiccup looking at her worriedly and Jack glaring at the Lords, looking more than a little peeved. Rapunzel came up on her left and wrapped her arm around her shoulders, steering Merida down the path that would lead them back to where the carriages were waiting.

After about eight or nine strides, the Lords started shouting after them, now noticing that Merida wasn't there, but her friends ignored them and kept walking away, taking her with them. Her friends stayed with her, silently comforting her as they walked. When they reached the forest line where the carriages were waiting, Merida couldn't hold it in any longer.

She ran ahead of her friends and emptied the contents of her stomach into the bushes. It was violent, painful, and one of the worst feelings she had ever felt. It was so horrible. Merida was mortified as sob escaped her throat in between her retching. She screwed her eyes shut tight, refusing to cry, especially not in such an open place. She was a Gryffindor. She was Brave. She wasn't afraid of this. She wasn't going to cry.

She wasn't going to cry.

Suddenly she wasn't alone. Rapunzel's gentle hands pulled back her mess of hair, Hiccup placed a steadying hand on her shoulder, and Jack rubbed her back between her shoulder blades as she continued to gag and vomit into the bushes.


	9. The Great Moor

_NOTES:_ All of Nature is Singing...

**Chapter 9: The Great Moor**

When Jack, Hiccup, and Rapunzel brought Merida back to the castle after their trip to Hogsmeade, they brought her straight to Dr. Sweet in the Infirmary. Being the professional he was, he easily recognized her sickness as stress-induced, and possibly too much candy. Merida was confined to bed rest for the rest of the weekend, and had to be cleared by Dr. Sweet before returning to her classes on Monday.

Her mother had been horrified, but not for the reasons Merida thought she would be. Queen Elinor had been so worried, she hadn't even thought to scold her for going against her wishes and going on the Hogsmeade trip. King Fergus had received quite the scolding for allowing her to go without a proper escort, but it seemed the Queen was more worried about Merida's health than anything else in that moment.

Merida knew she should have felt guilty for disobeying her mom because she had only been trying to protect her in her own, annoying way, but she felt happy as her mother fussed over her during that time. She was so worried, and it reminded Merida of when she was younger and her mother had acted this way all the time.

Merida's heart clenched because for the first time in a long time, she and her mother weren't arguing. Her mother was just loving her, and worrying about her.

Those few days of tenderness and care gave way to the following weeks of softer expectations. Her mother still made her attend all of the events for the Games, but released her from her Princess Lessons for the time, and her friends were endlessly grateful to have her among them again.

As the days grew colder and snow fell from the sky, Merida got more and more nervous. Her mother's sudden change in mood was something very fragile, in Merida's mind, and not to be trifled with unnecessarily.

However, she was running out of time, and she refused to miss out on something so exciting because she was to cowardly to ask on time.

Steeling herself, Merida gripped the crisp white envelope in her right hand and walked into her parents rooms. Her father was sitting in a large chair, sharpening his sword, and her mother was sitting on the couch with her papers scattered along the smooth surface of the coffee table.

"Ah, lass, how were your classes today?" Fergus asked warmly upon seeing her.

"They were good." Merida answered simply, rocking on her feet as her hands fidgeted with the letter. "But I came to ask you and mom a question." She decided just to spit it out before she lost her nerve.

This prompted her mother to glance up from her papers for a moment with a questioning look. "Well, what is it, dear?"

"Well, you see, my friend Jack gave Rapunzel, Hiccup, and me some invitations to his Coming of Age Ceremony over the Winter Holiday, and I was wondering if I could go..." Merida trailed off, biting her lip nervously.

"Where exactly is this going to take place?" Her mother inquired.

"At the Temple of Seasons, but Rapunzel's going! And Jack's mom will be there, too!" Merida added in as quick as she could.

"Oh, Merida, the Temple of Seasons is very far away, and only one parent for all four of you children?" Elinor looked slightly incredulous, but thankfully, the King decided to put his thoughts into words.

"Ah, let the lass go, Elinor!" Fergus waved at her, the Queen returned it with a glare, though, so he continued. "It'll be good experience for her! A completely different culture that she'll get to see first hand. Besides, the lass can take care of herself when she isn't hurling chocolate frogs!" Fergus snorted and laughed, and Merida giggled with him.

"That isn't funny, Fergus!" Elinor muttered, lightly smacking his arm with disapproval written across her face.

Merida held her breath, though, as a thoughtful look appeared on her mother's face. For a long moment, no one dared to even move while the Queen thought over the matter, and when she finally made to speak, Merida felt her stomach clench in apprehension.

"Oh, alright!" She finally relented, and Merida couldn't help but explode with a whoop of excitement before her mother quickly reigned her back in. "But you must stay with the group at all times, and if anything happens, you will come straight home, understand? You will follow Ms. Frost's rules without question, you will be polite, and I expect you to have a deeper knowledge of Winter Sprite culture when you return." Elinor warned her, but Merida nodded along easily, too happy to be bothered by such little things.

Wait until she told her friends!

* * *

The train station was extremely crowded as Merida, Jack, Hiccup, and Rapunzel tried to find Jack's mother. They could barely move without being separated from one another, so they stayed relatively still as they reached up to their tip-toes in an attempt to see over the heads of all of the much taller people around them.

"Jack!" They heard someone call. "Mama, look! I found them! Cat!"

Peering through the never-ending crowd, Merida spotted Jack's little sister, Emma, waving to them excitedly and smiling brightly as she held her mother's hand. Mrs. Frost was a bit more reserved, but smiled widely when she saw them.

"Jack," She said warmly as they approached. Emma ran to them and wrapped her arms around Jack in a tight hug, and then she was off like a bullet, grabbing hold of Hiccup's hand and beaming up at him happily.

"Cat!" She cheered, obviously pleased to see him.

Merida couldn't help but giggle at the scene because Emma was just so happy to see Hiccup, and Hiccup didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, he seemed almost as happy to see her as she was to see him, in his own, quiet way.

"I hope you all had a good trip," Matilda said, and Jack responded by hugging her tightly.

"It was great, mom." He reassured her with a smile.

"Excellent, because we have another train to catch in fifteen minutes." Matilda told them, looking down at the papers she was holding. "Your grandmother is ecstatic to have all of you children coming for the Holidays. It's been quite some time since she last had such a full house." Matilda told them as they gathered their trunks and bags and started off towards a different platform.

"I hope we aren't imposing too much." Rapunzel noted.

"But think of The Great Moor! I don't know anyone from school who's ever been there before." Merida pointed out. It was like a brand new adventure, and they would no doubt have the best stories when they came back.

"Most of my dad's side of the family lives there. And my mom's family owns the lighthouse just off the coast." Jack informed them, making Matilda chuckle.

"That was a very long time ago. Not too long after I married Jack and Emma's father, my parents decided they were too old to run the lighthouse. They offered it to Percy and I, so we could be closer, but Percy needed to be close to his work and I was working as a nurse for the local clinic. My young cousin, Conan, takes care of the lighthouse now." Matilda explained, smiling as they all chattered on about the exciting trip that lay before them.

The train they took to get to the Temple of Seasons was not as extravagant as the Hogwarts Express, but it moved just as quickly and even though the seats were open instead of divided by compartments, the longer booths did seat an extra person. Merida sat on the end with Hiccup sitting next to her, and on the other side of him was little Emma beside the window. Across from Merida was Rapunzel, Jack sat in the middle across from Hiccup, and Matilda took the other window-seat across from Emma.

The trip was definitely long. They spent, roughly, eight hours traveling in that one train, not including the time it took the train to make stops for other passengers along the way. Most of their entertainment came from conversation and the changing scenery as the train moved on.

The endless fields of Scotland gave way to miles of thick forest, and plenty of wildlife could be spotted between the tall trunks of the trees. Eventually they left the forest for more fields, and the hours of traveling began to wear on all of them. The silences grew longer as the tired group struggled to keep their eyes open while the sun slowly sank closer and closer to the horizon.

Long after the sun had gone down and the moon had taken it's place along with a million stars, they finally reached the last stretch of track before the Great Moor train station.

The Great Moor was situated on a very large island that was connected to the mainland by a famous bridge known as "The Bridge of the Moors". It was the longest bridge in the whole world, reaching across two hundred miles of ocean to connect the home of the Wilder-Creatures to the rest of the world. The bridge was a symbol of unity and peace between all species, and it was quite the sight for little Emma, who had never seen the ocean before that day.

It was Emma's sharp gasp that drew Merida's attention away from their mediocre card game and up to the window of the train. Emma stared out of the window with wide, sparkling eyes as the ocean waves reflected the light of the moon and stars.

"It's so pretty." She whispered, mesmerized by the endless expanse of water. She looked up at Hiccup who was looking out the window with her, a bright smile on her face. "The music is so much louder here."

Hiccup blinked down at her, seemingly confused for a moment, and then realization came over his features. "I guess you haven't spent much time outside of the city, have you?" Hiccup smiled down at her, and she shook her head. "Well, the ocean tends to be pretty loud. In places like this, where nature is more prominent than civilization, you'll find that it's easier to hear everything."

"Wow..." Emma breathed staring out the window again. Merida did have to agree with her. Though they had all seen the ocean plenty of times, this imparticular was quite amazing. Being in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by endless water that reflected an endless sky full of stars could make anyone feel small.

"Look there! That's where mom used to live." Jack told Emma, pointing towards a lighthouse that stood on a small island two or three miles off the coast of the Moor. Emma eagerly followed her brother's directions to the small structure and peered at it from her seat.

Matilda chuckled at her children's excitement. "You know, there's an old legend that goes with that lighthouse. My mother used to tell it to me all the time. Maybe if you behave, I'll tell you the story."

The last of the train ride ended all too quickly for Emma as they reached land again and soon came to a stop at the train station. They collected their things, and at about eleven o'clock at night, they finally stepped off the train at their destination.

"It's so nice to be able to stretch again." Rapunzel sighed, reaching her arms above her head as she yawned widely. Emma bounced on her heels right next to her, looking around excitedly.

"Matilda!" The group looked up at the sound of someone calling for Mrs. Frost, and the adult of their group turned to see who had called out to her, only to smile.

"Li! Mother!" She said, hurrying over to meet them half way as they rushed to hug her tightly.

Two, rather short, women stood before them. The younger of the two looked to be only a bit younger than Matilda, and she had black hair tied up into a high bun with maroon and dark green robes. The other was significantly older, her hair completely white, though Merida wasn't sure if that was entirely from her age alone, and it was also tied back. The older woman wore blue and white robes and a black circlet that was embedded with a glistening blue jewel.

"Oh, and Jack! You must be so excited! It's so good to see you after so long!" The younger woman, Li, welcomed the Winter Sprite, pulling him into a tight hug.

"Thanks, Auntie Li." Jack said, returning the hug with one of his own.

"Grandma!" Emma cheered, rushing to the older woman who beamed at the sight of the child.

"Oh, there's my little firecracker! How are you, dear?" The white-haired woman asked as she hugged Emma in greeting.

Many more family greetings were exchanged, which were then followed by introductions that were inevitably followed by Jack's family giving Merida, Hiccup, and Rapunzel hugs of welcome as well. Turns out that the older woman was Jack's grandmother on his father's side, and Mrs. Fa was his dad's sister, and, therefore, also his aunt.

"Zhou wanted me to be sure that you knew how sorry he was that he wasn't able to be here to welcome you, but with all the preparations for the Winter festival going on the Town Council is in a fit and he had to go deal with a problem to do with the banquet arrangements." Auntie Li was saying to Matilda, but Jack's mother quickly waved it off.

"Oh, there's no need to worry. It's a busy time of year." She sympathized.

"Not all of it's got to do with business." Grandmother Frost muttered to Merida, nudging her arm with her aged elbow. "Those Earth Sprites are always so serious. Must be because they're so _grounded_ , eh?"

"Mother!" Li scolded the older woman, but Grandma Frost just waved her off.

"Oh, don't try to deny it! You always did take after your father. Percy and I were always the _cool-headed_ ones in the family." The old woman chuckled as she hobbled on, but Merida stopped and stared after the woman, aware of her friends stopping next to her.

"Did your Grandmother just...?" Merida questioned slowly, pointing after the old woman.

"I think she did." Rapunzel nodded, not taking her eyes off the woman.

"Twice." Hiccup agreed.

"My Grandma makes the best puns!" Jack grinned, puffing his chest out proudly.

* * *

Jack's family was very welcoming to the group of new comers. Upon arriving at the Fa household, which was a rather large farm estate, they met Zhou, Jack's uncle by marriage, and Jack's cousin Mulan who was also an Earth Sprite.

Mulan was quite a few years older than them, being twenty she had already graduated from Hogwarts just before they started their first year, but she was very kind and was more than willing to show them to their rooms and offer to show them around the estates in the morning.

Finally, there was nothing left to do but get ready for bed, but once that was finished they were all feeling a bit restless from the long day of traveling. Jack and Hiccup ended up slipping into their room, unable to sleep, and Emma slipped out of her bed to go out onto the balcony where she could see the ocean, the beach, and the lighthouse in the distance. Hiccup joined Emma out on the balcony while Jack flopped onto Emma's bed with a groan.

"I'll never be able to sleep after sitting around for so long." He huffed, frowning at the small clock that told them it was close to one o'clock in the morning.

Jack's mother chuckled, shaking her head as she ushered Emma and Hiccup back inside before closing the glass doors to the balcony. "How about a story? Would that help you to settle down?"

All five of them visibly perked up at the mention of a story, and they quickly gathered on Emma's bed as Matilda sat on the foot of it. They all shifted until they were comfortable, and then the children looked up at Matilda expectantly as she smiled at them.

"Now, how about the old legend of the lighthouse, hm?" Matilda asked, and they nodded eagerly. "Alright. Once Upon a Time, long ago, there lived a little girl. This little girl lived on a very small island with her mother and father who cared for her very much. The little girl loved the ocean, and every day she would go swimming, hearing the sea call to her with it's endless song."

"One day, the little girl watched as her parents gather together the best of their catch and wrap it in a cloth, sending it off to the Moor to be placed at the foot of the mountain as a gift for the Great Prince."

"The Great Prince was a kind protector who brought peace and light to all the realms. He ruled the skies with his powerful wings to carry him, and watched over the land and sea. Every day he would fly from dawn until dusk, protecting and helping all those who needed him, and so the village that lived beneath his mountain home would honor him with gifts of food and gold at the foot of the mountain."

"It was that day that the little girl realized she had nothing to give to her Prince. 'You shouldn't worry' her mother told her, 'the Prince does not expect gifts from children'. But the little girl was deeply troubled that she had no gift to give. And so, she decided that every day as the sun began to set, she would sing for her Prince, hoping that somehow, he would hear her."

"And every day, she would sing. As the sun touched the horizon, she would return to shore from her swimming and sing her thanks out to the sea and sky. Many moons passed, and she did not cease her singing even once. She continued to sing for her Prince until one day, as the sun stained the ocean and sky with it's fiery glow, a figure appeared in the sky. Unknowingly, the little girl kept singing, and slowly the figure came down from the clouds to rest it's aching feet on the warm rocks. The little girl, having heard the figure land, turned around, frightened."

"Before her stood the Great Prince. The protector that brought peace to all the realms. The little girl quickly dropped to her knees, bowing to the Great Prince who looked upon her with great kindness. 'Please, do not stop' he said, startling the little girl. She did not think that the Great Prince's voice would be so soft or sound so tired. 'I have flown very far and very long. Every day, when I return, I have heard you sing. Might I rest in the warmth of the sand and listen to your song?' the Great Prince asked. Delighted to serve her Prince, the little girl agreed and sang for the Prince until the moon rose high into the sky."

"Many days passed, and each sunset, when the Prince returned from his rounds, he would stop on the little island to rest and to listen to the little girl's song. Days turned to weeks, and weeks turned to months, and the Prince watched over the little girl as if she were his own kin. They began to speak to each other, they would sing together, swim together, and tease even each other. Their friendship grew stronger with each day. 'Like the ocean reflects the sky, your soul reflects my own.' the Prince told her as he flew above her while she swam."

"One day a grand festival was to be held at the Moor in honor of the Great Prince, and so the girl and her parents sailed to the larger island. The party was certainly grand, and the Prince was seated in the place of honor as many villagers approached to offer him different gifts and entertainment. However, when the Prince saw the little girl, he smiled and rose. Silence fell over the crowd, and the Prince called the little girl to his side. 'This girl has won favor with me.' He told the crowd. 'So let all people see this coat upon her shoulders and honor her as they would me.' And he gave the little girl a pure white coat that glowed with the light of his magic. The crowds were amazed, and the little girl twirled in her coat, overwhelmed with joy."

"But there were some who didn't want to honor her. Many girls became jealous, wondering why she should have the Prince's favor, and when the Prince was distracted, the village girls lured the little girl away from the party and off to the shore. There they mocked her. They took her coat and tore it into pieces. They pushed her into the sand where waves washed over her hands and legs. Oh, did they enjoy her pain. And once they were finished, they gave the little girl over to the evil Sea Witch."

"Now, you see, the Sea Witch was jealous of the little girl as well. She hated the little girl because the Prince favored her. The sea sang to her. Her voice was beautiful. But the Sea Witch had never been able to hear the Songs of Nature. For all the years she spent in the sea, she had never been able to hear the ocean's song."

"'You are my slave now, girl, and no slave should be more beautiful than their master!' the Sea Witch claimed, and cursed the child. The little girl's skin turned a dark, dark grey, her nose elongated and grew long, white whiskers. Her fingers shortened, and her legs melted together. Soon the pretty girl had been transformed into a creature of the sea. The little girl tried to call for help, but even her voice had been changed."

"The Sea Witch laughed at her misfortune, and reached out to take the little girl to her underwater lair, but the creature-girl escaped the witch's grasp and used her new form to swim away from the danger of the Sea Witch. The little girl escaped into the sea, and eventually came to rest on the ocean floor."

"The little girl was sad that she was no longer human, but as she looked around, her curiosity overcame her sadness, and the little girl began to explore the new world around her. She loved being able to breathe underwater and see all of the wonderful things that had been out of her reach before. She was finally one with the sea that had always called to her."

"After some time, the girl decided that she could accept her new life, but first she had to say goodbye to her mother and father who had loved her so well. So, the little sea creature returned to her family's island. She climbed onto the rocks, but had no way to speak with her parents. Overwhelmed by her grief, the little sea creature sang out to the sea, and the waves and the wind carried the song to the ears of the Prince. Hearing the little girl's song, the Prince flew to her without hesitation, but when he came to the island, the little sea creature hid behind a stack of rocks before her Prince could see her, too ashamed by her appearance to allow her magnificent Prince to look at her. But the Prince could sense her presence, and she knew he would not leave without answers."

"'Why do you hide from me, little one?' The Prince called to her. 'I have been searching for you everywhere. Your mother and father are sad, and I have been very worried. Where have you been?' he asked her. Unable to hide from her Prince any longer, the little sea creature slowly came out from behind the rocks, revealing what the Sea Witch had done."

"'My Prince.' She sobbed. 'I am no longer human, and I cannot live with my family any more. The Sea Witch had cursed me, and I have become one with the sea.' She told him, and the Prince listened to her tale without a sound. When she finished, the Prince reached out smoothed her hair."

"The little girl gasped as, suddenly, she was no longer a sea creature, but a normal girl once again, and looked up at the Prince with both joy and sadness. 'Do not be sad. You have not lost the ocean.' He said to her. 'The Sea Witch cannot make you something you are not, she can only trap you within yourself. I have freed you from her trap, and I have given you the power to live in the sea as you live on the land. With your Song, you may return to the sea whenever you wish.' the Prince promised her."

"The little girl, so happy, hugged the Prince, and he returned her embrace with just as much joy. 'Thank you, my Prince' the little girl whispered as the sun began to set. 'I swear for this day and forever more, I shall serve no other but you and my song shall be for none other but you.'"

"And that is how the first Selkie came to be. It's said that from that day on, whenever the girl sang her song, the Prince would always return to her. The End." Matilda whispered her last words as she realized that they were all slowly falling to sleep. "And now, I think it best if you all return to your own beds."

A few mumbled agreements reached the air, but Merida was too tired to actually pay attention as she dragged her feet across the floor. She climbed into her bed and laid down, pulling the blankets around her tightly. Across from her, Matilda was just finishing tucking Emma into bed.

"Do you think..." Emma yawned in the middle of her sentence, but managed to pick it back up. "Do you think Selkies are real, mama?"

"I'm sure it's possible, darling. Goodnight." Mrs. Frost whispered, gently kissing Emma's forehead and then blowing out the candle on the nightstand.


	10. The Temples of the Seasons

_NOTES:_ A Father is a Son's first Hero...

**Chapter 10: The Temples of the Seasons**

The week that followed that night's events was the most fun Merida had had in a long time. Mulan showed them around the farm, starting with the very large house they were staying in, moving out to the barn, and then exploring the fields and the small bit of forest that was included in their land. Another day saw them at the Lighthouse where Mrs. Frost had grown up, and they met her cousin, Conan, and all three of his friendly hounds. They spent two of their days on the beach, swimming in the ocean, which Emma absolutely loved the first time and so she convinced everyone for a second time.

They also got to see the chickens that Jack's family kept, their black, grey, and white Horse, and their medium sized dog whom Mulan affectionately called 'Little Brother'. Merida couldn't help but think of Angus who was back at Hogwarts with her family, and Rapunzel mentioned a particularly friendly horse of her family's Guard named Maximus. Hiccup then told them that the closest thing his village had to horses were yaks, and they shared a pretty good laugh over the offended look that came over the horse's, Khan's, face.

With all of the adventures they had during that first week time flew so fast that before Merida knew it the day of Jack's Coming of Age Ceremony had come. Mrs. Frost made pancakes for breakfast, and Jack's relatives patted him on the back or hugged him as they asked him if he were excited or nervous.

Merida, Rapunzel, and Hiccup noticed that after breakfast Jack's Uncle asked him to go on a walk, and the two went outside for a bit while they stayed and helped to clean up breakfast. Merida wasn't sure what it was about, but Hiccup gave them a weak sort of smile: reassuring, but silently asking them not to pry or eavesdrop.

Rapunzel looked a little worried, but Merida shrugged. If Jack wanted them to know what his uncle had to say then he would tell them in his own time.

Soon the sun started to set, and it was time for them to go to the center of the city where the Temples of the Seasons waited for them. They rode in an open cart pulled by Khan with hay bales as seats. Jack seemed rather nervous and fidgety, but Hiccup nudged him with his elbow, and after about five minutes they were laughing at each others jokes.

The Great Moor was a large island covered with miles and miles of forest. A mountain stood tall and proud just off center of the island, and hundreds of different Wilder-Creatures lived in the city that surrounded the temples.

Four temples stood in a circle at the very center of the city that was settled at the foot of the mountain. The four temples represented one of the four seasons, welcoming Sprites, Fairies, and other creatures of the different seasons.

While the Summer Temple was home to Fire Sprites, also known as Sun Sprites, and the Autumn Temple was home to the Air Sprites, Jack's family took pride in being members of both the Winter Temple, home of the Winter Sprites, and the Spring Temple, home of the Earth Sprites.

At the center of the circle, however, was the Temple of Light and Harmony. The Winter Temple was made of ice, the Summer Temple was made of earthen clay and mosaic tiles, the Spring Temple of smooth stone with painted murals and climbing vines that bloomed with flowers, and the Autumn Temple of finely carved wood with intricate patterns and designs, but the Temple of Light was different. The House of Peace was made entirely of white marble and sparkling gems that created a rainbow of bright light no matter the time of day or night.

Despite the magnificence of the larger temple, their group drifted to the Northern side of the circle where the Winter Temple stood in all of it's icy beauty. Once they arrived, Jack was lead away by his Grandmother and two men that came to greet them at the entrance to the temple. The rest of them were lead into the main area of the temple where many other people milled about.

There were about ten, maybe twelve, families, and none of them were exclusively of Winter Sprite heritage. All the families had family members of different ethnicities among them. It didn't surprise Merida that none of the families gathered consisted of only Winter Sprites, it was rather common knowledge that Sprites in themselves were rather rare, but what did surprise her was how many were gathered from just the city alone.

Fa Li must have seen her curiosity because she rested her hand on her shoulder and motioned to the very large room before them. "It is our heritage that our young be welcomed to adulthood during one of the seasonal celebrations. Otherwise known as the Equinoxes and the Solstices. Since Jack takes after his father, the Winter Sprites will welcome him during their celebration of the Winter Solstice. Those you see before you are all of the Winter Sprites in existence, with a few exceptions of course. Winter Sprite magic is just as mischievous as the Winter Sprite. Sometimes it will skip several generations and then a child will grow up thinking they're a wizard or witch with a knack for ice magic, so there isn't any way we can be absolutely sure about their numbers."

"So Jack's ceremony is going to be in front of all of the Winter Sprites known to existence?" Rapunzel asked, eyes going wide.

"No wonder he seemed so nervous." Merida muttered, feeling her own stomach clench at just the thought of having to do something like that.

Fa Li nodded. "And Jack is the only one of his generation, which makes this night even more special. There hasn't been a Winter Sprite Coming of Age Ceremony in seven years now, and after tonight we'll have to wait another ten at the least because the other children are still trying to get used to walking on their feet." She chuckled as she pointed towards the group of nervous, most likely first-time parents watching their children toddle about the icy floor.

"Not to mention, Grandmother Frost is very respected among the Winter Sprites because she's the Grand Elder. She represents the Winter Sprites at the Seasons Council meetings, and she'll be directing the celebration tonight." Mulan added.

"But wouldn't that... Wouldn't that make Jack something like a Prince?" Rapunzel inquired, looking a little confused, and Merida felt her own jaw fall open as Rapunzel's words clicked in her mind.

Jack? A _Prince_?!

Mulan laughed at that and shook her head. "Not... Officially. Seasonal Sprites have no official hierarchy, but the Frost family has been highly respected among the Winter Sprites for many generations. We're one of the oldest families in our history."

Their group drifted farther into the main room, and once the sun had vanished completely, leaving the stars and moon to take it's place, Grandmother Frost entered the room, bringing silence to the once quite loud hall. Conversations and music stopped and everyone turned to face the Elder as she walked straight towards the circular dais in the center of the room.

The two men who had greeted them at the entrance flanked either side of her, and tried to offer her a hand when she went to climb the four stairs to the top of the dais, but she waved their hands away and did it herself. The men fell back and went to join the families in the crowd as Grandmother Frost stood both literally, and figuratively, at the center of attention, holding what looked like a simple wooden jewelry box.

"Friends and relatives, I welcome you home to the Great Moor where our ancestors thrived. This year has brought to us many great things; health, prosperity, family. But this year we have even more cause to celebrate. This year, my own Grandson has returned to be welcomed as a man." Grandmother Frost paused as everyone in the room cheered heartily. Once the cheering faded, Grandmother Frost extended her arm towards the open double doors she had come from, her palm up in a welcoming gesture. "Come join me so that we may welcome you."

Jack stepped into view then. The simple brown cloak and vest he wore whenever he was away from school was gone. He had changed into a puffy, white undershirt and a brilliant blue tunic. Black leather arm guards were laced tight around his wrists, reaching half-way to his elbows. A black leather belt wrapped around his waist, and his legs were covered by white pants that reached down to the middle of his calf where strips of fabric were tied to keep them tight around his lower legs so they wouldn't get in the way or get caught on anything. He carried his staff with him as always, though, and Merida smiled when she saw that he was shoe-less as he usually was when no one was around to bother him about following dress codes.

He climbed the steps slowly, and then, once he stood before his Grandmother, he knelt down with both of his knees touching the floor. He looked up at his Grandmother, and she smiled back at him kindly.

"Tonight, as we celebrate the Solstice, we welcome you among us, not as the child you once were, but as the man you have become. Tonight we hope and pray that your life will be filled with love, friendship, and prosperity." Grandmother Frost began as she opened the little box she held. "Tonight we give you the Gifts of our People, so that all creatures may know that you are one of us."

Kneeling down, Grandmother Frost set the box on the floor between them and continued to pull a pale blue ribbon from the box. The end of the ribbon was neatly wrapped and tied around two red-colored feathers.

"These feathers come from a Red-Tailed Hawk. A bird of pray that symbolizes our roots. Our very core. The core is where our insecurities of being abandoned, outcast, or left alone are held. It is our sense of belonging to the tribe. May the Red-Tailed Hawk grant you healing in times of pain, let these feathers bring blessings of Healing and Freedom from Despair." Grandmother Frost announced, holding the ribbon with the feathers out in front of her so that everyone could see.

She reached down to the box and took out a small, emerald green bead. "A bead of emerald green, to bring blessings of Growth and Prosperity!" She continued, threading the bead onto the ribbon until it was stopped by the bulk of the feathers.

The next thing to appear from the little box was a red and off-white striped stone. "A red Agate Stone, to impart Strength and Courage in times of great chaos." Grandmother Frost told the silent crowd as she expertly twisted and knotted the ribbon until the stone was held tightly in place by the rope thong.

Once again she bent down and pulled another thing from the box. This one was a glittering gem that was a deep blue color like the ocean. "A Blue Sapphire to bring good tidings and peace to relationships. May it bless you with only the purist of Friendships."

She tied the ribbon around the gem, and then raised the finished string of feathers, bead, stone, and gem into the air. After a moment she bent down and, with the rest of the excess ribbon, knotted the string tightly into Jack's white hair, just behind his left ear.

"With these Gifts we welcome you among us as a young man. Rise, Jack Frost, and be greeted by your people!" Grandmother Frost beamed proudly as she stepped back, allowing Jack the room to stand up.

Everyone cheered so loudly, and Merida shouted along with them. Though it was new to her, the whole ordeal was so fascinating and incredible. The years of history and tradition behind it were incredible.

Jack was swarmed by the families of all the other Winter Sprites, and Merida, Rapunzel, and Hiccup stayed back a little to allow him some space, but he constantly looked at them, grinning so widely and his eyes so bright with happiness.

As the many people who were gathered for the celebration finished congratulating Jack, the music began once again, and Jack found his way back to them, which prompted Merida to tackle him with a giant bear hug alongside Rapunzel and Hiccup. Jack laughed and returned the hug.

When they pulled apart, Jack's mother gave him a meaningful hug, full of pride and a few tears. She turned his head so she could look at the string of Gifts his Grandmother had given him, and she covered her mouth as more tears fell from her eyes.

"Your father would be so proud of you." She told him, pulling him into another hug. Jack's grip got a little tighter on this one as he nodded into his mother's shoulder. "Oh, look at me! Crying all over you when you should be celebrating with your friends! Go on, now, I'm sure they're plenty confused by everything, and they've been waiting so patiently to spend time with you." Matilda said, wiping her eyes. She cupped Jack's cheeks in her hands one last time and kissed his forehead that was almost level with her own. After that she moved off to the side to join Fa Li and the other adults her age.

"So? Do you feel any different, Mr. Man?" Merida questioned, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow at him. Jack chuckled and then shrugged.

"I feel the same, but... different." He explained vaguely.

"Well, that makes sense." Hiccup teased him lightly, and Jack scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"The Ceremony was incredible! Your Gifts are really pretty. Especially the Sapphire. It's really glittery." Rapunzel told him with a sweet smile, and Jack blushed, looking at the floor as he played with his staff with both hands.

"Yeah... Grandma chose a Sapphire for me because it was my dad's gem." Jack explained quietly, his blush still present, but Merida could see in his eyes and barely contained beaming that Jack was indescribably proud and happy to have the gem.

"Your dad had his own gem?" Merida inquired, curious as to how one would get a gem dedicated to him.

"Well, the Sapphire represents friendship, and my dad was the Guardian of Friendship." Jack confided in them, and Merida felt something tug inside her chest.

She somehow understood what Jack had said before. Jack was exactly the same as he had been the day before, but somehow he was different. They all were in a way. It wasn't that long ago that they had all been first years, uncertain about everything and chasing after what they thought was a bad dream only to find the Nightmare King himself. Now they were all third years, taking electives courses and talking to teachers about what they might like to do once they graduate. They had been through so much together with Pitch Black and Gothel, and yet they still had quite a ways to go.

And Merida couldn't help but remember that winter break couldn't last forever. Each passing day brought them closer to the first day of Spring, and Merida wasn't prepared for the utter doom she would face when she returned to Hogwarts.

For the sake of her friend, though, she pushed those feelings aside. This was a special day for Jack. A great honor in his heritage that he had asked them to take part in because he wanted them there. No matter what was going on between her and her mother, Merida felt honored that Jack invited them to such an important moment in his life, and she'd die before she let anyone disrespect it, even herself.

She smiled and clapped as Rapunzel danced to the music, she grinned at Hiccup as he played his flute while Emma sang songs to all his tunes, and she even let herself be pulled into one of the dancing circles when Rapunzel convinced all three of them to join her.

The Four danced together in the giant circle until the very end of the celebration. The Closing Ceremonies were grand and exciting, but by the end all of them were exhausted. The Fa family and Matilda lead them back to the cart and helped them up into it. Emma had already fallen asleep, and Jack gently placed his sister's head on his lap so she wouldn't get a neck cramp from sleeping awkwardly.

As the cart moved along, they talked sleepily, and Merida honestly wouldn't be able to remember most of it in the morning, but at some point her head fell forward and she jerked awake, suddenly too awake to sleep. She didn't remember what they had been talking about, but her suddenly very awake mind registered that Jack was talking to her.

"You know, Merida..." He paused as he gave a huge yawn, his eyes blinking tiredly as his head nodded towards the side, ready to plop on top of Hiccup's. "...It's too bad... too bad your brothers weren't born first..." He yawned again. "Then they could compete for your hand like the other lords, and... And then you wouldn't have to marry anyone..." He trailed off and his head drifted down to rest on top of Hiccup's. Normally, Merida would find the two boys amusing, but her cogs in her mind were turning and very quickly she was forming, what she thought, was a fantastic idea.

"First Born..." She murmured, a bright smile slowly stretching across her face.


	11. I Am Merida

_NOTES:_ Talking is easy, Listening is hard, Understanding is almost impossible...

 **Music:** "I Am Merida" by Patrick Doyle (Brave 2012)

**Chapter 11: I Am Merida**

Time passed, and with all of the festivities of Jack's Coming of Age and the Winter Holidays, fun and laughter filled every day. But, as the old saying goes, time flies when having fun, and the four students were of no exception to that.

They stayed with the Fa family for all of winter break, celebrating and giving each other gifts, but, eventually, the parties had to end and their bags had to be packed and train tickets had to be used. They thanked the Fa family profusely and said farewell as they boarded the train bound for King's Cross Station.

Merida felt bad for Emma as they left because the younger girl had fallen in love with the Great Moor and the endless ocean. Not to mention, she had been so happy to spend time with them, which reminded Merida that Emma was the only child at home when Jack was away at school and that must have been quite lonely for her, but once they returned to King's Cross Station they would have to part ways; Emma going back to Diagon Alley with Mrs. Frost, and the four of them going back to Hogwarts from Platform nine and three-quarters. Merida was certain she wasn't the only one who noticed the younger girl staring longingly out the window as the Great Moor grew smaller and smaller behind them because Hiccup glanced at her sympathetically several times, and Rapunzel frowned sadly.

It was Jack who finally eased his sister's mood by reminding her that next year would be her first at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They quickly joined in with Jack when they saw Emma's spirits lift a little, and soon they were having entire conversations about what classes she was most excited for, which ones worried her, and they all gave her various tips and advice for surviving in school.

The hours passed, and, sadly, the trip back felt much shorter than the trip there. Their party of six departed from the train, and Mrs. Frost insisted on going with them to the Hogwart's Express and helping them with their trunks.

Jack hugged his mom and his sister tight as he said goodbye, and Merida took a step back with Hiccup and Rapunzel to give the three some privacy. They boarded the train together, and they all waved goodbye Mrs. Frost and Emma as they watched the train start to pull away from the station. Emma even ran alongside the train until there was no more path for her to follow.

Merida felt bad for leaving the girl behind. She was very sweet, kind, and had the best imagination out of everyone Merida knew. Jack was right when he told them that Emma would do well at Hogwarts. She needed to meet some kids her own age, too, but until next year there wasn't much any of them could do to help her.

That, and Merida had her own troubles to worry on. If her plan didn't work she'd be married off to one of the Lords' sons, and she wasn't about to let that happen.

Their return to Hogwarts was exciting, relieving, and stressful for Merida all at once. As they finally got off the last train at Hogsmeade station, she was relieved that there wouldn't be any more heavy traveling until the end of the school year. She was also excited to be back at Hogwarts for magic and learning and the comfort of home. However, neither of those feelings could overpower the clouds of anxiety that billowed inside of her.

The evening feast that welcomed all of the returning students back from all of their trips and vacations was very large, as usual, and Merida managed to slip past her mother long enough to sit with her friends. Professor North gave a short speech to welcome them into the second half of the school year, and all too soon the evening came to an end.

Instead of climbing the stairs to the left with the other Gryffindors, Merida was pulled off to the right by her mother. Tonight she would sleep in her family's rooms, and in the morning her mother would pick out a dress for her to wear at the morning feast where the Clans would be gathered and everyone would expect her to announce the challenge for the suitors.

All of this because tomorrow was the first day of Spring.

* * *

Merida was seated in the throne beside her father at the morning feast. She wore the pale blue dress that her mother favored, and her hair was pulled so tightly it was a little painful. The suitors were at the ends of the Clans' tables, and passed them were her friends and the other Hogwarts students who, for Merida, felt worlds away from her.

She managed to spy Rapunzel's braid and Jack's flash of white hair every now and then, but so many people had gathered at the castle for that day. The first day of Spring marked the main event of the Games. Marked the day that the suitors would compete for her hand in marriage.

Commoners, nobles, warriors, maidens, farmers, and everyone in between had come from all over Scotland. Traders came from land and sea in the hopes of gaining a profit at such a high-class event. The set up stands and stalls in the fields and on the docks, peddling their wares to both the people and the Hogwarts occupants.

The morning feast buzzed with the energy of excitement as everyone awaited the moment when the Princess would be expected to announce her Chosen Challenge. Merida herself simply wished she could be anywhere else in that moment. Riding through the forest with Angus, perhaps? Or tossing a Quaffle around on broomsticks with Jack? Or swimming in the lake with her friends like they had last year? All much better options to her than what was her current situation.

All too soon, her mother rose from her seat, and the crowds of people hushed as all eyes went to the Queen. She stepped forward and then reached her hand out to present Merida who felt her stomach tighten into a ball of nerves.

The suitors stepped to the front of all the tables and knelt before the dais as Merida took her place beside her mother. She nearly threw up while standing up there, looking down at her classmates and friends as all eyes were on her. Merida had to remind herself that she had a plan and she was not going to be engaged any time soon.

"The time has come, at last!" The Queen announced, smiling brightly as the people cheered. "The Princess will now give the suitors their Challenge!"

Queen Elinor and everyone else in the hall turned to look at her, and for a horrifying second Merida felt as if her legs would give out beneath her. What she would give to have her bow with her in that moment. The feel of the wood, the weight on her shoulder, would have given her almost as much comfort as one of her friends standing beside her.

Merida noticed Jack, Hiccup, and Rapunzel standing on a ledge at the very back of the room, close to the door, so they could see over the taller people in the crowd. Rapunzel nodded encouragingly, but her mouth was pressed into a thin, worried line. Jack gripped his staff tightly and fidgeted on the ledge to the point where Merida thought he might fall off. Hiccup was a complete contrast to the other boy because he was almost completely still, his eyes locked on her with a worried expression.

"Archery." Merida managed to choke out. She swallowed as discretely as possible and folded her hands before her to keep them from shaking. "I choose Archery." She told them as calmly as she possibly could.

The people in the Great Hall cheered, happy that the decision had finally been made, and Merida had to bite her lip as her own anxious excitement threatened to spread across her face in a smile.

Most everyone started rushing out to the fields where the Games took place, but Merida excused herself from the Royal party with the explanation of needing to use the restroom and promising to meet them at the gazebo in a few minutes.

Merida ran off before her mother could protest, heading towards the closest girl's bathroom until she was well out of sight of anyone who might be suspicious of her. She paused to catch her breath, and then grinned and set off towards the Gryffindor tower.

It wasn't too long of a run, and soon she was bursting through the entrance to the common rooms. She ran through the main sitting room and straight to the stairs, veering to the right where the girl's rooms were.

The fell to her knees and skidded passed her bed because of the moment she had built up from running, but quickly crawled back over to the foot of her bed and opened her trunk that sat there. On the very top was her bow and quiver full of arrows. She scooped the items into her arms and the items were quickly followed by her cloak that she through over her shoulders. Once she was sure she had everything she needed, she slipped out of the Gryffindor common rooms as quickly as she had come.

She made it all the way to the moving staircases before she bumped into Jack, Rapunzel, and Hiccup when rounding a corner on one of the landings.

"Merida!" Rapunzel cried, throwing her arms around her neck.

"Where have you been? You disappeared after the announcement! And what's going on, I thought you were gonna convince your parents to call off the engagement?" Jack exclaimed, obviously very confused by the whole situation.

"My mom won't listen, so I'm taken matters into my own hands." Merida told them matter-of-factly as she glared at the floor. Hiccup noticed her armful of her bow and arrows and frowned.

"Merida," He said carefully, nervous and worried looking. "A-are you sure you know what you're doing? Marriages are a p-pretty big deal, shouldn't you be careful about offending the Lords?..." He trailed off.

"No." Merida said firmly. "I know what I'm doing, and I'm not backing down now. Just trust me."

Her friends seemed deeply concerned, but she didn't stay long enough for them to continue trying to talk her out of it. Her plan was already in motion. If she didn't end this today, she'd be engaged, and then married off within the next few years.

She couldn't let that happen.

Outside the festivities were already in full swing. There were caber tosses, hammer tosses, weight tosses for height and distance, tug-of-wars, dancing groups performed on stages, games of shinty were being played in the far-off fields by the Quidditch Pitch, musicians played endless strings of music on bagpipes, screaming children whacked a grass-and-twig weaved bear doll that a man held on a rope while roaring playfully for the delighted children, and Merida even spotted her own brothers up to their usual mischief.

The wee devils were on the roof of one of the tents, peering down at Maudie who held a platter of cakes in her hand as she flirted with an older man with a long neck and a fluffy looking beard.

Merida didn't bother to stay and see how the scene played out. She already knew that her brothers would get the cakes, one way or another, and she had much more important things to do at that moment.

Merida finally found the rectangular gazebo that had been set up for her and her parents on the edge of the largest field. She tucked her bow and arrows against the side of her throne here they wouldn't be noticed, and then covered them with her cloak. Looking out to ensure that no one had seen her, Merida's eye caught the sight of a small flag. Nothing special; just her family's crest on a small flag at the top of a post. Each of the suitors had one.

Merida smirked.

She made short work of moving the flag to behind the gazebo, which was good news for her, because her mother and father chose to arrive in that moment, just as the horn to announce the main event of the Games sounded in the distance. Everyone would be gathering to see what fate had in store for them.

Merida sat quietly, unable to remove the small smile from her face as the Lords appeared and made their way over. King Fergus and Queen Elinor stepped forward as the people gathered around. Merida spotted her friends who had climbed to the top of one of the larger tents to watch the games, her brothers next to them with a platter of half-eaten cakes.

"It's time!" King Fergus called as the crowds cheered and screamed their approval.

"Archers, to your marks!" Queen Elinor ordered.

"Aye! Archers, t-to your marks!" Fergus echoed quickly.

"And may the lucky arrow find it's target!" Queen Elinor smiled brightly, obviously pleased that things seemed to finally be going smoothly.

Merida only hid her smirk by biting her lip and kicked her bow back farther so no one would see it.

"Oi! Get on with it!" King Fergus commanded as he flopped back into his comfortable throne.

The first suitor, Young MacGuffin, only nodded shyly and slowly walked over to the starting line. Holding up his bow, he pinched the string with his too-large fingers and squinted at the target in the distance. He released, and the arrow struck the outer most ring of the target.

The crowd gasped and then dissolved into laughter as Young MacGuffin sighed in frustrated defeat, dropping his head back and closing his eyes, while his father smacked his own forehead.

"I bet he wishes he were tossing cabers." Merida muttered to her father with a devious grin as she hid her face from the people with the palm of her hand.

"Or holding up bridges." Fergus chuckled back as they both broke into uncontrollable chuckles, and even Elinor lightly slapping the King's arm couldn't make them contain their quiet giggling.

The next, Young Macintosh, took a deep breath, and then dramatically drew his bow in a flourish of a movement. He flicked his hair back, and the horde of ladies that seemed to follow him screamed excitedly, he looked back at the target and released.

The arrow struck just to the right of the red center of the target. The crowd murmured with appreciation for the shot, but Macintosh started screaming with rage.

"At least _you_ hit the target, son!" Lord Macintosh called to him, giving Lord MacGuffin a smirk, but the young lord wasn't listening. Young Macintosh continued screaming, and continued to whack his bow against the ground in his fit of rage.

"Oh, _that's_ attractive." Merida said sarcastically, and a small part of her wondered if Hiccup was starting to rub off on her, but didn't dwell on it because right before Young Macintosh collapsed to his knees in sobs, he _threw_ his bow across the crowd.

"I caught it!" Someone at the very back of the gathering cried excitedly, and cheering burst from the people.

"Good arm." Merida pointed out, finding the whole thing rather amusing.

"And such lovely, flowing locks." Fergus drawled dreamily, waving his hand by his hair.

"Fergus." Elinor spoke warningly.

"What?" Fergus asked innocently in reply, and Merida couldn't help but smile.

Last was Wee Dingwall. He reached for an arrow, but couldn't reach, so he ended up walking around in a small circle as all of his other arrows dumped out of his quiver. The one he grabbed got stuck on the bowstring.

Lord Dingwall squeaked nervously as he watched his son struggle with the equipment. His son finally had his arrow and bow, but then couldn't seem to figure out how to hook the back end of the arrow to the string.

"Aw, wee lamb." Merida pouted, actually feeling a little sorry for the lad as the crowd behind him openly laughed at his struggling.

He finally pulled up, the bow poised and ready, but then the arrow floated away from the bow until it bumped against his chest. He nudged it back into place, only to have it float away a second time.

"Oh, come on!" Fergus growled, aggravated by how long the whole thing was taking. "Shoot, boy!" He shouted.

Startled from the noise, Wee Dingwall released the arrow, and it struck the target. Dead Center.

The crowd exploded, and Lord Dingwall whooped with joy. "Well done, kid!" He cheered as he started a jig in all of his excitement. He turned away from the other Lords and grabbed the back of his kilt, bending over, he said, "Feast your eyes!"

The disgusted gagging noises and crying children were all Merida heard because she decided at that moment to slip away.

"Well, that's just grand now, isn't it? Guess who's coming to dinner!" Fergus turned to his wife, utterly displeased by the turn of events.

"Fergus!" Elinor hissed.

"By the way! Hope you don't mind being called 'Lady Ding -'" He stopped abruptly and frowned when he turned and found, not his pretty lass of a daughter, but one of his hounds sitting in her chair.

Merida weaved through the crowds until she stood at the front of them all, and struck the ground with the flag pole of her Family's Crest. She walked forward until everyone could see her cloak-covered figure clearly, and then ripped the hood from her head, revealing her freed curls in all their fiery glory and with the pride of a lion shaking out it's mane.

The crowd gasped in utter shock, but Merida ignored them all.

"I am Merida." She announced clearly, for all to hear. "First born descendant of Clan Dunbroch, and _I'll_ be shooting for my _own_ hand!" She glared defiantly at her mother as the Lords gasped in disapproval and confusion, turning to the Queen for answers who could only look on, just as lost as everyone else.

Merida readied her bow, and went to draw, but the tightness of her drew refused to allow her the movement necessary for what she needed to do. She tried again, but the fabric resisted, and she growled in annoyance.

"Merida!" She heard her mother shout, but Merida was looking over herself in anger.

This stupid dress. She'd always hated this dress. It was too tight. She couldn't move in it, could barely even breathe! But, for some reason, it was her mother's favorite. This stupid dress was just another thing that kept her mother from hearing her. It wasn't going to ruin this day. This was going to be the day that her mother finally stopped and _listened_.

"Curse this dress!" Merida snapped, bending down and pulling as far forward as she possibly could. The fabric tore at the seams, ripping noisily and fray, but finally freeing her from the confines of the dress.

Realizing this, Merida pulled and started walking. As she passed MacGuffin's target, she released and the arrow struck dead center. The crowd gasped in complete shock.

"Merida, stop this!" Queen Elinor's voice registered in her mind, but Merida ignored her.

She passed Macintosh's target and released. Again, a perfect shot.

"Don't you dare loose another arrow!" The Queen commanded, but Merida blocked her out.

She came to Dingwall's target and pulled out another arrow from her quiver. She drew, and took a deep breath as she lined up her shot.

"Merida, I forbid it!" Queen Elinor hissed, spitting fury, but Merida wasn't going to stop. Not now. This time her mother was going to listen to her.

Merida released the arrow and it flew straight and true. Dingwall's arrow split in half as Merida's ran right through the center with enough power to go through the target and embed itself in the wooden support in the back of it.

Three perfect shots lined up. Pride couldn't be described in a better way as Merida's talent with her bow was finally recognized by someone other than herself in the privacy of the forest. The entire crowd, stunned to silence by the Princess's mastery of such a skill.

Something her mother would never want anyone outside the family to know about.

Merida turned and came face to face with Queen Elinor who was no longer calm and collected, but openly furious, and Merida couldn't help the sense of satisfaction that ran through her.

* * *

"I've had just about enough of you, lass!" The Queen said furiously as she threw Merida into the chambers the Royal family had been staying in at the castle.

"You're the one who wants me to- grr!" Merida couldn't even bring herself to say it.

"You embarrassed them, you embarrassed me!" Elinor snapped at her, pointing towards the door angrily.

"I followed the rules!" Merida retorted strongly, refusing to be at fault when her mother was the one who started this whole mess.

"You don't know what you've done!" Elinor told her, turning and slamming the door so that no one would be able to hear them shouting.

"You just don't care what I feel -!" Merida tried to talk to her, but the Queen's warning ran right over her voice, unwilling to hear. "There will be fire and sword if this is not set right!"

"Just _Listen_!" Merida begged.

"I am the Queen!" Elinor shouted. "You listen to me!"

"Aahh! This is so unfair!" Merida exclaimed, turning away and slamming her fists against the table.

"Ha! Unfair?" Queen Elinor scoffed incredulously.

"You were never there for me!" Merida cried, whirling to face the Queen with a sword off the table now gripped in her hand. "This whole marriage is what you want! Did you ever bother to ask what I want? NO! You walk around telling me what to do, what not to do! Trying to make me be like you!" Merida exclaimed, swinging the sword to release some of her anger as she paced back and forth. "Well," She faced her mother, The Queen. "I'm not going to be like you!"

"Ah, you're acting like a child!" Elinor sighed, refusing to hear what her daughter was saying. She placed her hands on her hips, looking away from the distraught girl before her.

Her reaction only made Merida angry.

"And you're a beast!" Merida retaliated, stomping over to her mother's precious tapestry and pointing the sword at it angrily. "That's what you are!"

The Queen gasped, horrified. "Merida!"

"I'll never be like you!" Merida growled, testing the give of the weave with the point of the sword.

"No, stop that!" Elinor cried.

"I'd rather _die_ than be like you!" Merida exclaimed, swinging the sword up and then back down in one fluid motion that split the tapestry, separating the image of her from her mother with a long tear.

The Queen retracted instantly, horrified and devastated by the damage, but Merida raised her chin defiantly, too angry to care anymore.

Queen Elinor's expression suddenly darkened and she marched over to Merida, scaring the girl a little with how intimidating she suddenly appeared.

"Merida, you are a _Princess_!" Queen Elinor snapped, grabbing the sword and throwing it to the floor across the room. "I expect you to act like one!" She grabbed Merida's bow, hung safely on her shoulders, and yanked it off despite the girl's yelp of protest as it yanked on her hair painfully.

Queen Elinor turned away and threw the beautifully carved bow into the fire, and Merida screamed as if she, herself, had been burned, her hands flying to her mouth as she watched the delicate piece of wood burn.

Her bow. He beautiful bow that she had carried since she was small. The piece of wood that had become as much a part of her as Jack's staff was to him was now being burned to ash.

Her mother turned to her with no remorse, no sorrow at all in her features, and suddenly Merida felt her words were more true than she once thought. Her mother was a cruel beast who would never hear her.

Merida backed away, unable to stop the tears from spilling out of her eyes, and then turned and ran, throwing the door open and not bothering to close it in her rush to get away. To escape. To never see the horrible look of anger on her mother's face again.

She didn't stop when her mother called out to her, she didn't stop when Jack, Hiccup, and Rapunzel called out to her in the courtyard, and she didn't stop when she reached the stables. She threw herself onto Angus's back and kicked him into a full gallop away from the castle, heading straight into the Forbidden Forest as she sobbed into her horse's mane.


	12. The Potions Master

_NOTES:_ Be careful what you wish for. You might just get it.

**Chapter 12: The Potions Master**

She didn't know how long she rode for. Only that she rode fast and hard, not stopping for a moment. Branches whipped at her arms and hair, but she ignored them as she held on tightly to Angus's mane.

Suddenly, Angus slammed his front hooves into the ground, skidding to a stop, and the sudden lurch threw Merida forward over his head. She screamed as she flew through the air and then hit the ground hard. She pushed herself up slowly, shoving her mess of hair out of her face.

"Angus!" She cried, tears staining her cheeks and her mouth tasting coppery and her tongue stinging where she accidentally bit it upon impact with the ground. Her dress was ripped beyond repair and covered in mud and grass stains. She could already feel the bruises forming across her right side, but at least she hadn't broken anything, from what she could tell.

Angus danced about, snorting nervously as she looked at him, confused and angry with him for throwing her. Then she felt a surge of strange magic in the air and looked around her to find herself surrounded by a very strange rock circle.

Merida quickly stood and scanned the forest for any sign of danger, but she found that, despite her sensible mind telling her she should be on guard for danger, she couldn't look away from the oddly shaped pillars of stone. Her eyes wide with awe and wonder.

A quiet sound, like a whisper, made her whip around to find a small, blue light floating in the air just a few feet away from her. It was like a small ball of smoke, or a tiny cloud of blue that glowed with a comforting light. A Will of the Wisps.

She slowly walked over to the light, and reached out to touch it, but it quickly disappeared before she could. Farther down the path, several more appeared, creating a trail and beckoning for her to follow. Their whispers were light and comforting, as if they knew the way and all she had to do was trust them.

Feeling more than a little nervous, she turned to Angus and motioned for him to follow. "Come on, Angus." She whispered, but Angus snorted and backed away to hide behind one of the rocks. "Angus!" She snapped, and he whinnied pitifully.

Merida sighed and decided to go on her own. She started following the Wisps, and soon enough Angus ran to join her, as he was too frightened to be left by himself. They slowly made their way through the creepy and haunted-looking Forbidden Forest.

Merida felt as if they walked for hours, but she knew that it was only a few minutes, and slowly the Wisps became fewer and farther in between until finally the last one disappeared and all Merida could see was a small cottage that stood, out of place, in the middle of the Forbidden Forest.

"Why would the Wisps lead me here?" Merida wanted to know, looking at Angus, but he only whickered anxiously.

Merida walked up to the cottage and slowly pushed the door open. A bell chimed above her head as she opened the door, but her attention was instantly pulled to the seemingly endless supply of bear-themed carvings that filled the cottage from floor to ceiling.

"Oh, have a look around!" Merida jumped at the sudden voice and turned to find the wrinkly old Potions Professor, Ms. Carver, standing on the other side of the room, carving a bear statue with a chisel and mallet. "You give a holler if you see anything you like. Everything is half off."

"M -Ms. Carver?" Merida stuttered, utterly confused about what was going on. "I -I don't understand... Why would the Wisps lead me here?" She asked as she picked up a bowl with two handles and the face of a bear carved into the side.

"Do you like it?" Merida gasped and dropped the bowl as Ms. Carver suddenly appeared beside her. "Oh, I've been stocking up for months, dear! Widdling is a much cleaner business than Witchcraft. I've gotten far too many unsatisfied costumers with all the potions and spells and such!" Ms. Carver explained vaguely as she shuffled over to a carving with two bears in a frame. "What about this lovely conversation starter?"

"Potions and spells..." Merida muttered, and suddenly it made sense. Potions! There were all sorts of potions! Love potions, strength potions, luck potions, the list was endless! "That's why the Wisps lead me here!" Merida exclaimed. "You can help me change my fate!"

Ms. Carver suddenly stopped in her rambling and looked up at Merida dryly. "Now, what did I just say? Too many unsatisfied costumers! I've done plenty of work in my time, and Hogwarts was the one place people didn't come running back to me for refunds! No, it's too much trouble. I don't sell potions anymore, I'm just a simple Wood-Carver."

"But if you could give me a spell to change my mom, that would change my fate!" Merida told her excitedly. This would solve everything!

"No! No Witchcraft here! I'm a Wood-Carver, a widdler of wood. Plain and simple. Dealing with magic only brings lawsuits and other problems! Don't you pay attention to any of the stories I tell you young ones in class?" The old woman demanded.

"Uh..." Merida hesitated, unsure of how to answer. In all honesty, no one ever really understood the older Professor's constant ramblings. Many had tried, but she just spoke utter nonsense sometimes. Most of the students, including Merida, didn't pay very much attention when Ms. Carver started on one of her rants.

Still, Merida was determined to convince the Professor to help. "Look, you're the best Potions Master in the whole school, if anyone can change my mom, it's you! Just one spell, one witch to another."

"And how, exactly, do you plan to pay for this spell, hm?" Ms. Carver demanded, crossing her arms and eying Merida carefully through a narrowed brow as her pet crow that was always in the classroom with her landed on her head and squawked in agreement.

"With this!" Merida said, pulling off the necklace with her Family's crest on it. Pure, shiny silver. More than enough for one spell.

"Oh my, that's lovely, that is." Ms. Carver murmured, staring at the piece of jewelry as if she were in some sort of trance.

"That would set us up for months!" Her crow squawked again, turning it's head this way and that to look at the shiny object. "We'd finally be able to take that vacation time!"

Ms. Carver ignored the crow, however, and eyed Merida closely. "You sure you know what you're doing?" The older witch asked carefully.

"I want a spell that will change my mom." Merida told her slowly, clearly. "That will change my fate."

Ms. Carver watched her for a moment longer, and then grinned. "Done!" She snatched up the necklace and pushed Merida out of the cottage, shutting the door behind them.

"Where are you going?" Merida called after her, but the woman stopped suddenly and snapped her fingers. Ms. Carver hobbled back over to the door, shooing Merida out of the way.

She turned to the much younger witch and smiled. "Never conjure where you carve. Very important."

Waltzing back into the cottage, Merida found that it had completely changed with nothing but a large cauldron and shelves upon shelves of potions ingredients.

"The last time I did this was for a Prince." Ms. Carver told her as she walked around the cauldron and clapped her hands twice. Instantly the cauldron came to life with a bubbling sound and a creepy, green glow.

"Easy on the eyes. Tight chest." Her crow commented as he perched on the rafters.

"He demanded that I give him the strength of ten men, and he gave me this for a spell." She said, showing Merida a coin with crossed axes carved into the metal. "A spell that would change his fate."

"And did he get what he was after?" Merida asked, peering at the coin.

"Oh, yes! And made off with an especially attractive mahogany cheese board!" She informed her as she hobbled away once again. "Now, what do I need? Oh!" She began as she started collecting ingredients and throwing them into the bubbling cauldron on the fire.

Several plants that Merida couldn't name went in, followed by some hair that the crow yanked out of Merida's head, and Ms. Carver stirred as the potion bubbled and changed color. When she pulled the spoon out, it was completely burned away with nothing of it left. The old woman shrugged, threw the spoon behind her, and covered her face with a metal mask, then her crow got one as well. Ms. Carver added some sort of salt and slowly the glow of the cauldron started to get brighter and brighter.

Merida peered into the cauldron, but was suddenly blinded when Ms. Carver's hand smacked against her face and a bright white flash followed not a second later. Merida could hear Angus running about in fright outside, but she was too caught up in the moment to worry.

"Now, let's see!" Ms. Carver said excitedly as she used tongs to pull a solid object out of the gooey mess in the cauldron. "What have we here?"

The goo fell away to reveal a cake, and Ms. Carver placed it on a napkin on the table. Her crow started pecking at it, but Ms. Carver whacked him across the room before he could take a bite of it.

"Uh... A cake?" Merida asked skeptically.

"You don't want it?" Ms. Carver demanded, whirling to glare at her.

"Yes! I want it!" Merida assured her instantly. "But you're sure. If I give this to my mom, it will change my fate?"

"Oh, trust me!" Ms. Carver laughed. "It will do the trick, dearie."

"Thank you for shopping at the Crafty Carver! And remember: all spells are final trade. No returns! No Refunds!" Ms. Carver told her happily with a big grin as she opened the door for Merida.

Merida nodded, smiling down at the parcel she now carried, the cake safely tucked within a napkin, as she walked towards Angus who was still nervous after the bright flash from before. She heard something that sounded a lot like talking, and turned to look at Ms. Carver again.

"Did you say something... about..." She trailed off when all she saw behind her was the stone pillars from the rock circle. Ms. Carver's cottage was nowhere in sight. "The spell." She murmured as she turned and looked around, wondering how on earth she and Angus had gotten back there.

* * *

"But, Professor!" Jack argued as he, Rapunzel, and Hiccup were pushed out of the music-filled Great Hall and towards the moving staircases.

"No more buts!" Bunnymund told them as he finally stopped for a moment so they could face each other and speak properly now that they were away from all the noise inside the Great Hall. "Look, I know you're worried, but I've already let you three stay an hour past curfew. Not to mention the crowd is getting a little rowdy in there. It's time you three went to bed with the other students."

"What about Merida? She's still out there somewhere, and Mr. Crood said the forest gets more dangerous at night..." Rapunzel worried, a troubled frown set across her features.

"Tooth and her fairies are helping the Queen look for her as we speak." Bunnymund informed them, and then his expression softened a bit. "I know you're all worried, but waiting around here all night isn't going to help her."

The three were silent, unable to come up with a valid argument. They weren't allowed to go looking for her because if they got lost that would only cause more trouble for the teachers, or if the got into trouble in the forest somewhere, or if some other horrible thing happened.

Bunnymund sighed after a long moment of silence, and then lowered his voice to a low mutter. "I'll come and tell each of you as soon as she's found, alright? Now, off to bed!"

Reluctantly, the three third-years turned to the stairs and started towards their individual dorms, however, they shared a silent look of agreement and they each knew that they wouldn't be going to bed any time soon.

Unbeknownst to the three students and the Professor who had ordered them to bed, far below their feet in the castle's kitchens a door was slowly eased open, and a head full of tumbling red hair poked inside to see if anyone was around.

Without a soul in sight, Merida hurried into the kitchens and rushed to prepare a tray. She filled a tea pot with hot water, placed a cup next to it, a fork on the opposite side, and presented the cake from Ms. Carver on a plate with blue berries. For the finishing touch she placed a small, purple wild flower on the tray.

Pleased with her work, Merida picked up the tray and made to move towards the door that would lead her up to the Great Hall. Before she could even take a step, however, she heard the door she had come from open and a short intake of breath.

"Merida!"

"Mom!" Merida said, turning as quickly as she dared with the tray in her hands. Her mother stood in the door way, covered by the dark shadows outside. "Oh! Um...I -uh..." Merida wasn't sure how to interact with her mother in that moment. They've had many fights over the years, but none as bad as this. Where should she start?

"Oh, I've been worried sick!" Elinor exclaimed, coming into the light to reveal her distressed expression. She reached out to hold Merida's shoulders as she looked her over, and Merida couldn't help but notice that her hair was a bit messed up, revealing a grey streak in her dark tresses.

"You -You were?" Merida asked, surprised by her mother's deep concern and lack of anger. She had been expecting her mother to be spitting mad when she returned.

"I didn't know where you'd gone, or when you'd come back! I didn't know what to think!" She fussed, looking almost near tears with her relief. Looking down, she noticed Merida's clothes and the worry instantly returned to her eyes. "Oh, look at your dress!"

"Oh, uh... Angus threw me, but I'm not hurt!" Merida quickly pointed out after a short moment, worried that she may still be scolded for running away and ruining her best dress.

"Well, you're home now. So that's the end of it." Her mother smiled fondly at her, relief that she had come back evident in her eyes.

"...Honestly?" Merida hesitated, but grinned widely as she stared, wide-eyed at her mother. Did her mother actually hear her? Was this really the end? Would she call off the wedding?

"I've pacified the Lords, for now. Your father's out there 'entertaining them'." Elinor covered her mouth as she chuckled delicately. Merida believed her. She could hear the off-key singing from where they stood. And then the Queen paused. "Of course we both know a decision still has to be made." The Queen looked at her expectantly, hands clasped in front of her chest.

Merida's grin instantly dropped into a frown, and she reached to the side where she had set down the tray while speaking with her mother. She only took the plate with the cake and the fork. Turning, she held it up for her mother with the biggest, most forced grin she had ever made in her life.

"What's this?" The Queen asked, smiling as her hands fell to her sides.

"It's a peace offering." Merida explained. "I made it. For you. Special." She forced out as she pushed her arms out to hand her mother the plate.

"You... made this for me?" The Queen looked so pleasantly surprised by the thought, which wasn't too strange. Merida had never taken to cooking or baking, so the idea that she had made something for her mother was very surprising indeed.

Elinor took the fork and sliced a small piece of the cake for herself. She ate it, and started chewing. "Mmm," She nodded at first, but then she shook her head a bit in surprise and made a strange face. Recovering herself quickly, she forced a smile to Merida. "Interesting flavor..."

"How... do you feel?" Merida peered at her, waiting for some kind of change in her mother's personality. It probably wouldn't be too obvious a change, just a tweak in her mind-set that would change her views on the engagement. "Different?"

"Oh, What is that?" Elinor questioned, looking as if she were eating something rather gross, which wouldn't really surprise Merida considering the glop the cake had come from. "Ah, that's a... Tart, and uh... gamy!"

"Have you changed your mind at all about the marriage?" Merida asked, deciding that it could do no harm considering her mother was now bent over the table, pouring herself a cup of tea and quickly drinking some. She swished it around, washing her mouth out with it before swallowing. "Perhaps?"

Elinor gasped as she set the cup down, and then straightened up all at once with a smile back on her face. "Now, why don't we go upstairs, to the Lords, and put this whole kerfuffle to rest?" Elinor suggested as she steered Merida towards the door, but Merida kept glancing back at the cake, wondering what on earth was supposed to happen and when.

It didn't take them long to climb the kitchen's stairwell and find one of the small side doors of the Great Hall. The hundreds of voices singing only grew louder and louder as they got closer, and Merida was starting to feel a little nervous when her mother suddenly stopped and grabbed hold of the closest wall to support herself.

"Mother?" Merida exclaimed, suddenly feeling a flash of worry and a little guilt.

"I'm woozy suddenly. Oh, my head's spinning like a top! Oh!" Elinor nearly collapsed again, and Merida lunged forward to catch her.

"Mom!" She cried as she caught her mother's arm and held her up, concern echoing through her mind as she tried desperately to calm it.

"Suddenly I'm not so well." Elinor told her, sounding as if she were near puking and every word was a huge effort not to hurl on her own shoes.

"Uh... How do you feel about the marriage now?" Merida probed gently, curiously.

"Merida!" Elinor exclaimed, obviously appalled. Merida gave her a weak smile as apology, but the Queen only sighed. "Oh, just take me to my room."

Merida's smile dropped, and she nodded, determined to help her mother in any way she could while she was feeling so terrible. She took her mother's arm and started to help her along the edge of the Great Hall sense it was the fastest way to the moving staircases. They stayed close to the edges in the hopes that they wouldn't be seen as King Fergus had two of the guards line up a stuffed bear for his target practice as the crowd continued singing merrily.

Apparently the thin shadows at the edges of the hall were not enough to hide them because the Lords spotted them and ran over, calling out for Queen Elinor.

"My Queen!" Lord MacGuffin called. "We've been waiting patiently." He told her, and Elinor slowly turned to face them as she struggled to keep herself together.

"My Lords," She began. "I am out of sorts at the moment, but you shall have your answer!" Her sentence was interrupted by a huge belch that, in any other context, Merida would've found hilarious coming from her mother. The Lords, however, looked as shocked as Elinor herself. "Presently." She finished. "Now, if you'll excuse us..." She trailed off, turning to Merida and starting to walk away again.

"Elinor, look! It's Mor'du!" Fergus shouted to her, pointing at the stuffed bear that now had an arrow sticking out of it's nose. Elinor waved to him weakly, but kept going without a word, causing the King to look up in worry. "Elinor, are you alright, dear?"

"Fine, I'm fine! Go back to pegging your leg!" She told him, waving him off as best she could as Merida continued to help her away from the scene through the large double-doors of the Great Hall.

"Aye!" The King replied. "You heard her, lads!" He said, accepting an axe that was handed to him. "I dream about the perfect way to make this devil die!" He sang and threw the weapon, and the axe embedded itself into the skull of the stuffed bear.

Eventually they managed to make it to the King and Queen's room where Merida helped her mother get into bed. Elinor fell back against the pillows, her face flushed pink and her eyes going in and out of focus as she tried to keep her breath steady.

"You just take all the time you need to get yourself right, mom." Merida said as she pulled the blankets over her mother and gently patted her side in comfort. "Then, maybe in a bit, you might have something new to say on the marriage?" Merida leaned in curiously, wondering if the spell was working or not.

"What was in that cake?!" Queen Elinor exclaimed, eyes wide and utterly baffled about what was making her feel so out-of-sorts.

"Pfft -Cake?" Merida laughed nervously, avoiding her mother's gaze, but the Queen coughed and then wheezed as she rolled over until she fell clean off the bed, making Merida wince. "Mom?" She called softly, hoping she was alright. "So, I -I'll just tell them the wedding's off then?" She asked, figuring that whether the spell was working or not the marriage was the best way to get a response from her.

Elinor didn't respond. The only sound was a deep groan that rattled with an animalistic tone.

Confused, and more than a little worried now, Merida started to walk around the bed, trying to see her mother's form on the other side. The screech of the side-table's leg moving against the stone told Merida that her mother had banged against it somehow.

"Mom?" Merida called, her voice split between worry and fear. What on earth was happening?

Merida rounded the last corner of the bed and found the blanket her mother had been wrapped in covering Elinor's form as wriggled about on the floor in obvious discomfort. Slowly, the figure got onto all fours, and then started to stand, steadily growing larger and larger and larger with each tiny movement.

Merida's wide eyes followed the blanket-covered giant in awe and fear. When the figure stood straight, the blanket fell away to reveal black fur that covered a large animal. Merida gasped, retracting a bit, and the animal slowly reached out a clawed paw to hold the bed frame as it turned to look at her.

Merida screamed, immediately trying to back away, but she tripped over her torn dress and fell on her backside on the hard stone. She scrambled away as quickly as she could without turning her back to the animal, but the back of her head hit the table that was pushed up against the wall and she had no where to go.

The creature started walking towards, towering over her with it's great height, and Merida's feet slid against the stone as they tried in vain to get her farther away from the danger.

"B -B -BEAR!" Merida shrieked, pointing in terror at the animal, and, suddenly, the creature stopped in it's tracks.

It's eyes widened, and it turned to look behind it. The bear saw it's own shadow on the wall and roared as it, too, fell backwards and scrambled away from the opposite wall, stopping when it hit the table and sat right next to Merida.

Merida looked at it in horror, too petrified with fear to move or try and find a way to defend herself, and the bear turned to her, and roared in her face. Merida screamed, but she was backed into the corner with no where to go and a screaming bear in front of her.

The bear retracted though, looking at her with what appeared to be confusion, and then it glimpsed at it's paws and jumped in fright. It started to feel it's claws and it's snout, it's eyes wide. It turned suddenly and pulled drawer after drawer out of one of her mother's jewelry boxes. The first two held nothing, but the third one had a mirror, and the bear grabbed it, fumbling with it until it rested right-side-up in it's paw.

The bear looked at itself, and then roared as it stumbled backwards, falling into Merida's parent's bed and breaking it. The bear tried to stand and it's head burst through the wooden canopy on top, making Merida gasp. The bear stumbled off of the broken bed and fumbled with the candle holder, wardrobe, and such as Merida slowly got to her feet.

Merida couldn't take her eyes off of the seemingly terrified bear, and slowly the cogs in her mind began to turn as all of the puzzle pieces began to fall into place.

Finally the bear tripped on a pot and tore a plain green tapestry from the wall, covering itself once again, and suddenly stopping for a moment.

"...Mom?" Merida questioned softly, looking over carefully at the blanketed creature.

The bear pushed the tapestry off of it's head, revealing wide eyes and a horrified expression of disbelief. It's eyes frantically searched the room until they fell on Merida, and then it stopped, looking at her with confusion.

"You're... You're a BEAR!?" Merida exclaimed, overwhelmed by her own shock. Elinor looked at herself again, and then groaned questioningly. "Why a bear?!" Merida asked, but she already knew that she had been tricked. "Oh! That scaffy witch gave me a gammy spell!"

Elinor looked up at that, her brow narrowing around her eyes as her snout wrinkled just the slightest bit. Merida paused for a short moment, and hurried on.

"It's not my fault." Merida told her. "I didn't ask her to change you into a bear! I just wanted her to change... you." Merida finished, slowly realizing that the potions master had taken her words extremely literally.

Elinor's brow narrowed even farther, now realizing what was going on, and then she roared as loud as she could.


	13. A Bear!

_NOTES:_ Fate be Changed, Look Inside, Mend the Bond, Torn by Pride.

**Chapter 13: A Bear?!**

Merida sat on her parent's broken bed, her arms crossed and her brow narrowed, as her mother paced back and forth in front of her, groaning and grumbling in her unknown bear language. It was quite apparent she was giving Merida some form of lecture and ranting to her about how irresponsible she was, no doubt.

"There's no point in having a go at me!" Merida finally interrupted her mother's endless growling. "The witch is to blame! Goggly old hag." Merida muttered angrily. "Eyes all over the place! ...Gah! Just -Unbelievable!" Merida stood up in her outrage. "I'll get her. I'll get her, and I'll fix this!" She swore determinedly under her breath.

Pausing in her muttering for a moment, Merida realized her mother had placed her crown back on her head and was testing the colors of her ruined gown against her black fur, and then the colors of the blanket that had been pulled off the bed. She sighed in defeat, and proceeded to wrap herself in the blanket while leaving her green gown on the stone floor.

"Mom?" Merida questioned as her mother looked about the room and then started towards the door. "Mom!" Merida repeated, hurrying after her as she opened the door and squeezed through the too-small doorway. "Mom, you can't go out there!" Merida hissed, following after her. "Mom! Wait!"

Of course, the Queen-turned-bear didn't wait. She kept walking down the corridor, the blanket wrapped around her, and knocked over a hall table. Apparently the Queen was not quite used to her new size and bulk, but Merida skirted around the fallen object and ran after her mother until she managed to scoot in front of her, making her stop.

"What are you doing?" Merida demanded, wondering what on earth her mother was thinking. Elinor returned her question with look that clearly stated 'what does it look like, I'm doing?', and Merida's eyes only widened farther. "Dad! The Bear King?" Merida said, trying to remind her mother about the potential dangers of walking around so openly in the castle. "If he so much as sees you, you're dead." Merida warned her.

A loud, complaining voice made Merida jump and gasp as she whirled to look down the corridor where she could barely see the beginnings of the stairways. More voices followed, and she recognized them to belong to each of the Lords as her father appeared at the top of the stairs, a legion of men behind him.

Merida drew back from the corner she'd peeked around and turned to look back at her mother, only to find that she had decided to wander off in the opposite direction.

"Mom!" Merida screamed as best she could while not raising her voice above a whisper, and ran to catch up, pausing only long enough to fix the fallen table, and then she rounded the corner at the other end of the hall, chasing after her mother as he father and his men entered the hall behind them.

Merida rushed after the looming form of her mother, already feeling slightly out of breath as she, once again, hurried around to stand in front of her mother. This time she placed her hands on her mother's fur-covered belly and pushed her backwards a little. Not that it did much, seeing as how big and strong the Queen was now.

"Mom! Wait!" Merida said, keeping her voice hushed. Her mother gave her a narrow-eyed look that told Merida the Queen had no intention of listening to her in this moment, but Merida continued on trying anyways. "We have to -"

Merida stopped as her mother brushed passed her, knocking a candle holder against the stone wall as she did so. Merida managed to catch it before it fell on the floor, but not before it had made a horrible clanging sound against the wall.

Her mother just kept going as if the horribly, echoing loud sound didn't matter at all in their current situation.

Merida righted the candle holder, officially fed up with her mother's behavior, and chased after the Queen angrily. "Stop." She said, reaching out to her mother. When Elinor ignored her again, Merida did the only thing she could think of. "STOP!" She hissed, yanking the blanket off of her mother's fur-covered body.

The Queen instantly stopped and looked down at herself, and then she used her arms to try and cover herself as she gasped. She looked at Merida in mortified horror, and then leaned towards her, as if asking for her to return her clothes.

"You're covered with fur! You're not naked!" Merida snapped, still keeping her voice at a whisper. "It's not like anyone's going to see you!"

It was immediately after the words escaped Merida's mouth that she and Elinor noticed the side-hall that connected to the one they were currently arguing in, and the fact that Maudie, their head maid, stood there, staring at them, or, more specifically, the Queen with eyes the size of dinner plates.

Merida simply stared, unsure of what to do at this point, and Elinor smiled as best she could with her bear snout, giving her maid a tiny wave.

Maudie screamed, throwing the basket of bread she was carrying in the air and scattering loaves of bread across the floor as she turned and ran away faster than Merida had ever seen the plump woman run.

"Now you've done it," Merida said, not bothering to keep her voice lowered as she motioned in the direction Maudie had run.

Elinor huffed a large sigh, and then turned and started walking again, which made Merida groan openly with frustration. She was very close to being convinced that her mother was _trying_ to get caught.

Merida glanced nervously down the hall that Maudie had disappeared down, but ultimately turned and started chasing after her mother, again.

It wasn't long before they came across a particular hallway that Merida knew all too well because it lead directly to the moving staircases. One of the most trafficked areas in the whole castle, and no matter where you went you were visible to anyone in the stairwell from nearly any angle. Hiding a full-sized bear would be impossible!

For a moment, Merida's mind began to panic, but she firmly set it back in place as she noticed a spacious four-way corridor not far down the hall. She quickly ran ahead to stand in front of her mother and blocked the Queen's path by spreading her arms out wide, backing up a few steps as her mother continued walking, despite her protests.

"Just listen to me!" Merida argued with her, and was thankful that her mother stopped and looked at her. "We can't go this way! You'll be seen!" Merida told her.

Before Merida could continue arguing with her mother, she backed into the four-way corridor just as another figure came around the corner, and the two collided. Merida let out a yelp of surprise and whirled to face the other person, coming face-to-face with Jack, Rapunzel, and Hiccup.

Her three friends, much like Maudie, spent a short moment simply staring at them with wide-eyed expressions, and Merida, unsure of what to say or do, simply stayed silent and offered them a grimace-like smile.

Hiccup was the one to finally break the silence as he leaned over slightly to Jack and Rapunzel and asked, "You guys see the bear, too... Right?"

That snapped them out of it.

"Of course we see the bear! Merida, why is there a bear?!" Rapunzel burst out, her expression beyond confused and slightly terrified as she spoke much faster than usual.

"I found Ms. Carver in the woods and she gave me a potion and it turned my mom into a bear!" Merida rushed to explain.

"Why a bear?!" Jack exclaimed.

"I don't know! I didn't ask for a potion to that changed people into bears! I just asked her to change my mom, and now my mom's a bear, and we need to find Ms. Carver so she can fix this, but first we need to get my mom out of the castle before anyone see's her!" Merida blurted out all in one breath, and her mother gave a small roar of agreement.

Rapunzel, Jack, and Hiccup all looked at each other, unsure of how to respond or what to do. Hiccup simply shrugged, and Rapunzel gave a rather lost expression, completely unprepared for a situation such as this because, really, who would be?

"You know, our group has done some pretty crazy stuff, but I'm pretty sure this takes the cake!" Jack said, pointing at Merida and Elinor with the curved part of his staff.

"Jack!" Rapunzel admonished, giving him a firm look of disapproval.

"What?! We were all thinking it!" Jack defended himself.

"Well... Maybe, but... Well, none of us were saying it out loud." Rapunzel told him, crossing her arms over her chest with a sense of finality.

"Guys," Hiccup said somewhere in the background.

"Well, it isn't my fault!" Merida snapped. "If there's anyone to blame, it's Ms. Carver! She's the teacher in this whole mess, and she's the one who gave me the bad spell!"

"Guys," Hiccup said again, but Merida and the others were to caught up in their current conversation.

"Alright, well, where did you two meet each other? Ms. Carver may be a bit... uh, eccentric at times, but I'm sure she had no intention of turning Her Majesty into a bear, of all things." Rapunzel spoke up, the voice of reason in the middle of so much chaos.

"Well..." Merida trailed off.

"Merida?" Rapunzel inquired carefully, looking rather nervous about what the answer might be.

"I wasn't thinking clearly!" Merida defended herself. "I was riding, and then suddenly I was in the forbidden forest! Then a Wisp appeared, and they lead me to Ms. Carver's cottage in the forest!"

"You've got to be kidding me!" Jack cried, throwing both his hands onto his face as he stumbled back a bit.

"GUYS!"

"WHAT?!" Merida, Jack, and Rapunzel all asked, and even Elinor let out a rather aggravated huff at the boy.

Hiccup simply pointed farther down the corridor where large shadows flickered in the torchlight and screaming voices were growing louder by the second.

"The _Bear_ King!?" Hiccup reminded them.

"Quick, this way!" Merida said and took off down the right corridor with Jack, Rapunzel, and Hiccup right on her heels, but the four came to an abrupt halt halfway down a set of spiral stairs.

Merida turned and poked her head back around the corner, the others following her example until they were leaning over each other to look around the same corner. "Mom?" Merida asked.

* * *

"Quick, this way!"

Elinor, with her heart racing and her mind panicking, darted down the hall on the left. She wasn't sure where she was going, but she was positive she didn't want her husband, or the Lords for that matter, to see her like this.

Oh, the whole Gathering had gone completely wrong the moment Merida had shot for her own hand with that blasted bow! That horrible scrap of wood that her husband had insisted on giving her for her fourth birthday. Merida had changed so much after receiving that bow. All she wanted to do was practice archery, never wanted to focus on the reading and writing lessons that would help her later on. Elinor had tried so hard, but that enraging, simple piece of wood that she hated so much had some how enchanted her daughter into a world of rebellion and resentment towards the traditions and the lessons that Elinor had waited so long in eager anticipation for the day she would get to pass them on to her own daughter. Oh, yes, that blasted piece of dead tree that infuriated her so much because it was the reason her daughter had changed so much. That... that wretched, horrid bow that she also loved... that she loved so much because it always made her sweet little girl so happy. It never failed to make her smile, and her eyes sparkle so brightly, and Oh! Why was all of this happening? What had gone so horribly wrong that they would end up here?

Elinor was ripped from her thoughts when she rounded a corner and crashed into another chest that decorated the hall. The piece of furniture tipped over, and Elinor cursed her larger size that made it near impossible to move as she backed into the dead-end hallway.

Where should she go? If she didn't find a place to hide quick, she'd be seen for sure.

Pressed into the corner, Elinor looked around with wide-eyes. She noticed a tapestry on the wall beside her and quickly pawed her way behind it. She pulled it to cover her face, but it pulled the other end off of her rear-end. Elinor groaned.

The next thing to catch her eye was a door, and, deciding she had nothing to lose, she pushed her way into the new room, letting the door swing shut behind her as she froze to look at the room and the people inside of it.

The room was a store room for different taxidermy animals and animal figures that the school used for educational purposes, but what really caught Elinor's attention was Hamish, Hubert, and Harris standing on top of a bear figure that had been given a pair of hawk wings, and they were sticking a deer head on top.

Elinor was so shocked she tilted her head and gave a confused gruff. The boys response after they looked up were wide-eyed terror and sharp gasps.

* * *

"Mom! Mom!" Merida called with a whispering note as she darted back and forth across the endless halls, peeking down corridors in the hopes of catching a glimpse of black fur darting around a corner.

"Your Majesty!" Rapunzel called as well, but kept her voice as low as she could. "Queen Dunbroch!"

"We are the only people I know who can lose an entire bear!" Jack muttered as he checked behind tapestries and certain doors.

"We're the only people I know who would _have_ a bear!" Hiccup retorted. "No offense, Merida, but what is it with your family and bears?!"

Before Merida could reply, the echoing yells of her father's hunting party came racing down a hall to their right, and the four were tripping over themselves and each other as they rushed to duck behind a corner just a few feet down the hall.

Merida pressed her back against the wall with Jack and Rapunzel beside her, but Hiccup tripped over his own feet and landed on his rear just as the hunting party passed by their hiding spot, completely unaware.

After she was sure that the hunting party was gone, Merida turned to ensure that Hiccup was alright, and found that it wasn't his feet he had tripped over, but a chest that had been knocked over.

Merida and Rapunzel righted the chest as Jack helped Hiccup up, and then the four went to the door that was slightly ajar next to the chest. They pushed it open, peering inside as with Merida in the lead, and Hiccup in the back rubbing his lower back.

They stopped when they saw Queen Elinor directing Hamish, Hubert, and Harris as the boys carried a mounted deer head and placed it on the wall where it belonged. When they were done, the boys turned and looked at them. Hamish motioned to Queen Elinor, obviously looking for an explanation, and Elinor motioned back to the boys with an expectant look on her face.

Merida huffed a sigh and walked farther into the room, her friends right behind her. "A witch turned mom into a bear. It's _not_ my fault." She told them. "We need to get out of the School, I need your help!"

The three boys gave her a matching set of dry expressions.

"Alright, you can have my desserts for two - _Three_ weeks!" Merida offered them, but, once again, Hamish motioned for her to keep going. "Okay, fine! A year."

To that, the three boys nodded in agreement.

* * *

Within less than half an hour Merida had changed into her usual green dress and cloak, and the eight of them had come up with a plan to get Queen Elinor out of the school. Or, more accurately, Jack, Hiccup, and the triplets came up with the plan while Merida, Rapunzel, and Elinor watched them muttered excitedly to each other.

In the end, Jack and Hiccup took Harris and Hubert, and, with a giant rubber frog and medium sized pot from the storage room, disappeared into the secret passageways. Harris and Hubert created a distraction to lead the hunting party away, and Jack and Hiccup lead the younger boys through the secret passages of the castle.

Hamish stayed with Merida, Rapunzel, and Elinor. He made various noises and sounds as they moved through the corridors, and Merida could only guess that he was informing the others of where they were.

As they hurried along, Merida could hear the fake bear-roars and the screaming of the excited hunting party. She even caught a short glimpse of a bear's shadow, and eventually she managed to figure out that was the reason they had taken the frog.

Hamish lead them down many different corridors, and Merida followed right behind him. Elinor followed a bit more slowly, grumbling and gasping in distress as she knocked things off walls, out of place, and tore down tapestries by accident, and Rapunzel followed behind her, fixing all that she could in the halls without falling too far behind.

"Come on, mom!" Merida called over her shoulder as they came to the end of a hall that Merida recognized almost immediately because it was a dead-end with nothing but a portrait of fruit.

Hamish, being so short, couldn't reached high enough to tickle the pear, so Merida did it for him, and together they carefully eased the door to the kitchens open. They stopped when they saw Maudie and two other maids sitting on the benches.

"What did you see, Maudie?" One of the maids asked sympathetically.

"Oh, just spit it out, Maudie!" The other exclaimed, apparently having been there a while. "Oh, for goodness sake, Maudie, would you get a grip!"

Merida looked passed them, though, when she heard thumping noises coming from the chimney, and before she could even make a guess to what it was, one of her brother's dropped down, the rubber frog covering his entire head and the legs wiggling around wildly. Maudie screamed, shooting out of her seat and running out of the kitchen, and the two maids quickly followed, giving smaller yelps and shrieks of fear as they hurried out of the kitchens.

Hamish waved for them to keep coming as he pushed the door open wide for them. Merida was down the steps in a matter of seconds, waving for her mother to hurry up. "Come on, mom, quick."

Elinor tried to follow, but she hit her head on the top of the door frame. She rubbed her head with her large paw as she stepped into the kitchens and over to the small set of stairs, but she slipped on the first one and slid all the way down to the bottom. She reached, trying to pull herself up by using the shelves next to her as a support, but they collapsed underneath her and dumped their contents of bottles and jars on top of her.

Elinor scrambled to her feet, now on solid ground, and she managed to join Merida over by the door, but not with hitting her head against the pots and pans that were hanging from the ceilings.

Rapunzel joined them at the door as the triplets reunited with their arms over each others shoulders, beaming up at them. Harris and Hubert were covered in ash and soot, and Hamish gave a large sneeze, and a long string of snot came out of his nose. Hiccup and Jack weren't much better, seeing as they had just come down the chimney as well. Jack's white hair was grey from the soot, and Hiccup had ashes smeared across his cheeks, but they were both grinning as widely as the younger boys in front of them.

Elinor grumbled worriedly at the triplets as Rapunzel held the door open, but they didn't have time for this. Merida wasn't sure what the boys had done to throw the hunting party off their trail, but she was fairly certain it wouldn't last forever.

"They'll be fine, won't you boys?" Merida asked, and the boys' puffed up their small chests, trying to look sly and cool as they waved them off.

"Don't worry. Hiccup and I will stay here and watch over them." Jack reassured her as well. "We'll make sure no one gets too curious about where you've gone."

Merida nodded gratefully towards Jack and Hiccup, and they smiled back. "Mom, we've got to hurry!" She insisted, gently pushing her mother back as Rapunzel lead her out the door.

"Jack and Hiccup will take good care them, you don't have to worry." Rapunzel told the Queen kindly as Merida pulled the door closed.

"We'll be back soon." Merida said to the boys, knowing they would be fine on their own for a while. "Go on and help yourself to anything you want. As a reward." She addressed this to her brothers, and then quickly shut the door, heading off with Rapunzel and her mother.

In the kitchens, the triplets looked around excitedly before they gasped, their grins widening as their eyes fell on a small cake with a tiny bite taken out of it. They hurried over to it, rubbing their hands together as they got a small knife and started cutting.

Jack and Hiccup looked at each other and shrugged, walking over to join the boys at the table and benches.

* * *

"Where are these Wisps?" Merida sighed heavily as she walked about the stone circle she had encountered earlier. Honestly, she was surprised she'd been able to find it. She would have thought it would be deeper in the forest with how long she'd been riding Angus for, but apparently not. "Come out, Wisps!" She called into the night fog. "Come on out!... Lead me to Ms. Carver's cottage!... I'm here!... Fine. Don't come out now that my mom's watching."

Elinor gave a questioning grumble, and Merida looked up at her, really unsure of what to do.

"I was standing right here! And the Wisp appeared right there! Then a whole trail of them lead me off into the forest!" She tried to explain, waving her arms about for emphasis.

"Are you sure you didn't use a spell of some sort?" Rapunzel asked gently. "Wisps are Spirits of Destiny, according to Professor Robinson, and she also told us that Seer magic can be very eccentric. Professor Robinson seems pretty confident that you have the Gift of a Seer, and maybe, somehow, you accidentally summoned the Wisps with your magic." Rapunzel theorized.

"But I wasn't even thinking about anything like that! And magic without an incantation? I've only ever seen Professor Sandman do that, and he's a Sorcerer!" Merida pointed out, feeling aggravated by the whole situation. The Wisps never came out when she needed them to.

Elinor held up a paw to stop the girls' conversation, and then she started walking out into the trees, following a partially overgrown trail as Merida and Rapunzel watched her go.

"Bah, what does she think? That we're just going to happen upon the witch's cottage?" Merida muttered to her friend. Rapunzel shrugged uncertainly, and the two had no choice but to follow the Queen farther into the woods.

They walked along for some time. With no real sense of direction, they were left to simply wander, following after the Queen who, even when hopelessly lost and changed into a bear, managed to look purposeful and regal with every step. Merida trailed behind, trying to think of a way to fix this mess, and Rapunzel stuck close to Merida's side, watching the treeline nervously. The Forbidden Forest was not a friendly looking place, and Merida had to agree that the cold and the heavy fog were not helping.

Eventually, Merida started noticing little things that seemed familiar, and slowly she came to realize that she had passed through here before. When she'd first found Ms. Carver's cottage!

"Oh, mom! I know this place..." Merida trailed off as she tried to remember where she had gone from there. "...Ms. Carver's cottage is... It's this way! Come on! Hurry!" She exclaimed, running passed her mother to take the lead.

Merida ran through the lush, green grass, she jumped over logs and ducked under low-hanging branches as she rushed in the direction she had traveled the first time. She came to a stop at the top of a rise and there, right in front of her, was the little cottage.

"I can't believe it!" Merida beamed as Rapunzel and Elinor came up behind her to join her in looking down at the cottage. "I found it!" Merida grinned, and jumped to it once again, rushing towards the cottage.

She ran to the door and threw it open, grinning happily as it opened easily to allow her inside, but the smile quickly fell from her face when she realized the cottage was completely empty. Cold and dark and bare. Ms. Carver was nowhere in sight.

"No... She was here!" Merida closed the door and looked back at her mother. "No, really! She was, just, here!"

Elinor groaned loudly, rolling her eyes up to the sky, and Rapunzel bit her lip. Merida could see it in her friend's eyes, she wanted to help so badly, but she had no idea what to do or how to fix any of their current problems.

"Oh, wait," Merida said, remembering something Ms. Carver had told her. She walked away from the door, gave a snap of her fingers, and then walked back over. Once again, she opened the door, but it was still completely barren. "No." She cried, closing the door and opening it over and over again. "No. No! No, No!"

She finally took a step into the cottage, and her ankle tripped a wire that started some contraption. Several moving parts creaked in the darkness, and suddenly a knife flew through the air and embedded itself in the wall beside her, making Merida yelp and Rapunzel shriek. A cauldron at the center of the room, however, bubbled to life with a green glow. Merida shared a nervous glance with Rapunzel, and then they started to slowly approach the boiling cauldron.

"Welcome to the Crafty Carver, home of bear themed carvings and novelties!" Ms. Carver's face suddenly appeared in the smoke of the potion, and her voice echoed over the top of the green-glowing water. "I am currently not accepting requests at this time, but if you'd like to inquire about portraits or wedding cake toppers, pour vial one into the cauldron. If you liked the Bedouin garlic, vial two. If you're that red-haired lass, vial three. If you -"

The floating head wasn't able to finish as Merida snatched up the third vial on the table, ripped on the topper, and poured the contents into the cauldron.

The cauldron, and then Ms. Carver's face appeared once again. "Princess! I'm off to the Wicker Man's Festival in Stornoway. I won't be back until Fall for the new school year. But there's one bit I forgot to tell you about the spell. By the second sunrise your spell will be permanent! Unless you remember these words: Fate be Changed, Look Inside, Mend the Bond, Torn by Pride."

"Fate be changed? Mend the bond? Oh, what does that mean?" Merida demanded.

"One more time!" The head announced. "Fate be Changed, Look Inside, Mend the Bond, Torn by Pride... That's it! Ta-ta! Oh, and thank you for shopping at the Crafty Carver!" The image called out to them as it faded back into the mist.

"No!" Merida blurted out, her hands trembling as the weight of the situation started to overwhelm her. "No! Where'd you go?" Merida grabbed another vial and poured it in. The head appeared once more, but started babbling about more carvings. "What?!" Merida yelped and, feeling so, so desperate, she grabbed more vials, pouring in mixture after mixture. "There -There's got to be a -a spell, or something to make this right!" Merida cried over the noise of the image repeating several different lines over and over in the background.

"Merida, stop!" Rapunzel shouted, pulling Merida back from the cauldron as the glow steadily grew more and more intense. The image sparked and babbled incomprehensibly as the three slowly backed away from it.

Realizing that the potion had been overwhelmed, Rapunzel and Merida immediately dove for the floor, and Elinor caught them both, wrapping them up safely in her fur-covered arms.

"Have a lovely day!"

A blinding flash of white light engulfed everything, and then suddenly it was quiet. The three slowly pulled away from each other and looked around to find that the cottage had been destroyed. Nothing was left. Merida looked up at her mother, and Elinor's ears fell back. The Queen and Rapunzel looked as hopeless as she felt.

Eventually, rain began to fall from the sky, forcing them to make shelter for themselves. Merida and Rapunzel used what planks of wood they could find in the wreckage to make somewhat of a shelter for them, and the three of them squeezed in together under the small shelter.

Elinor looked lost in thought, her expression rather dejected. Merida peeked at her from under the hood of her cloak. "We'll sort it out tomorrow." She offered weakly, trying to be optimistic.

Queen Elinor looked at her for a moment, but then turned her back to the two girls and laid down. Rapunzel placed a comforting hand on Merida's shoulder, silently promising that they would figure this out, and then she, too, tried to sleep.

Merida was left alone to look up at the thundering, black clouds that filled skies.


	14. Into the Open Air

_NOTES: "Could these Walls come Crumbling Down? I want to Feel my Feet on the Ground. And Leave Behind this Prison We Share. Step into the Open Air..."_

**Music:** "Into The Open Air" by Julie Fowlis (Brave 2012 soundtrack)

**Chapter 14: Into the Open Air**

_Rain pelted the windows of the castle as the room glowed with the warmth of the fire. Her mother sang softly as she worked on her sewing, and Merida held up her wooden toy horse, rocking it back and forth with her hand so it would look like it was running across the sky._

_A sharp flash of lightening and a booming crack of thunder made Merida flinch violently and scream, grabbing the end of the tapestry that lay on the floor with her tiny, three-year-old hands she lifted it up and crawled underneath it, trying to hide from the awful sound._

_"Oh," Her mother cooed softly, moving the end of the tapestry that lay on her lap so she could see Merida, and then pulling the little girl onto her lap. "Brave, wee lassie, I'm here. I'll always be right here." Her mother soothed as she brushed Merida's hair back from her face._

_Her mother hugged her close as she continued singing Merida's favorite lullaby, and Merida started singing with her, smiling brightly up at her mother as the fire kept the room warm despite the pouring rain outside..._

Merida blinked awake slowly to find herself curled up on a somewhat flat rock. She groggily pushed herself to sitting and pulled the hood of her cloak off of her head, blinking a few times to try and wake herself up.

Feeling a hand rest on her shoulder, Merida peeked over to see Rapunzel sitting next to her with her long, golden braid a bit messy from the long night. The taller girl pointed out of their shelter, and Merida's brows furrowed slightly before she silently sighed and stood up, grabbing her bow as she went.

"Good morning," Merida said slowly as she approached her mother who was, in fact, still a bear dashing any hopes of the night before being a very strange nightmare. Her mother gave a chipper roar in reply to her greetings, and Merida peered around her to look at the setting her mother had created. Part of what used to be a wall of Ms. Carver's cottage had been placed on it's side on top of some rocks to create a table, and various pieces of wood and stone were used for the bits and bobs on top. "Soooooo, what's all this supposed to be?" Merida asked curiously, chuckling lightly at the scene before her.

Her mother motioned to the stone next to her, but Merida wasn't quite sure what she meant by that. Rapunzel walked up to stand next to her, and smiled. "I think your mom found us breakfast." Rapunzel guessed, and Elinor nodded appreciatively.

"Oh," Merida struggled to keep in a chuckle as she slid onto the stone-seat her mother had motioned to, dropping her bow on the table as Rapunzel slid onto the stone next to her. Elinor huffed, and started grumbling at her again. "What?" Merida asked, not understanding a thing.

Elinor looked directly at her and started groaning a long string of accentuated bear noises at her, and Merida could hear Rapunzel giggling softly into her hand next to her. When Elinor finished, she was looking at Merida with a pointed look, and her ears perked up expectantly.

"Sorry," Merida shrugged helplessly. "I don't speak bear."

Elinor gave her a dry look, and then proceeded to make a few motions to indicate her bow and pointing to the ground.

"Oh," Merida said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes and moving her bow off of the table.

Satisfied, Queen Elinor picked up two sticks and started to use them as a knife and fork to cut the berries on her wooden plate. Her 'fork' slipped, and the berry shot off her plate, hitting Merida right on the forehead, and Merida gasped as Rapunzel snorted and rushed to smother her giggles behind her hands. Elinor gave a horrified look, and then put the utensils down, opting to use her paws instead. Delicately, she used her claws to slip one between her teeth, and she winced after tasting it, but continued to eat anyways.

"Find those by the creek, did you?" Merida asked, reaching across the table and picking up one of the darkly colored berries.

Queen Elinor gave a proud nod as she reached for another berry. Merida handed the berry to Rapunzel, and the golden-haired princess's eyes went wide once she got a good look.

"They're Night Shade berries." Merida informed her mother with a bland look. Her mother just continued to slurp up another berry. "They're poisonous."

Suddenly, Elinor's eyes went wide as she paused for a moment, and then she was spitting out all of the berries she'd eaten, gagging and spluttering. She tried to wipe her tongue off with her paws, and then she grabbed a dented pot to pour herself some water, proceeding to drink it all in one huge gulp.

Merida slowly reached over and peered inside the pot. "Where did you get this water? It has worms."

Queen Elinor spewed all of the water she'd drank, letting her paws fall to the table in defeat as she drowsily tried to collect herself. But, she placed her paw too far on one side of the table, flipping the wooden top off of the stone pedestal and sending their entire "breakfast" flying through the trees with a loud crash that sent a flock of crows scattering into the forest.

Merida struggled very hard to keep her chuckles low and quiet, while Rapunzel looked on with wide, worried eyes. Queen Elinor sat back, hanging her head in tired defeat, and Rapunzel decided to step in and help her.

"Merida, why don't you help your mom find a real breakfast, and I'll go tell the boys what's happened. I'm sure they're worried about us, being out all night as we were." Rapunzel suggested.

"Uh..." Merida hesitated quietly, glancing quickly at her mother's hunched figure as all of her chuckles dried up suddenly.

"I'm sure you'll be fine. I'll be back in a couple of hours with the boys, and then we can come up with a plan, but we all need to eat something to keep our energy up. I'll grab something when I sneak through the kitchens, and I'm sure you can hunt something with your bow." Rapunzel reassured her as she stood and dusted herself off.

Merida stood with her, and after a few words of goodbye for the time being, Rapunzel was walking off into the forest, heading straight for the Hogwarts castle. Meanwhile, Merida was left to look over at her mother again.

Merida couldn't help it, she had to chuckle at the ridiculous pout that had settled across her mother's bear features. Practically skipping over to her, Merida nudged her mother playfully to get her attention as she passed.

"Come on." Merida said over her shoulder, making the Queen look up at her curiously.

* * *

A fish floated peacefully in the calmer waters of the river, the sun reflecting gold on the rivers surface. Merida stood in the shallows, her stance wide and her bow poised at the ready. The fish paused for a moment, and, taking a breath, Merida released the arrow straight into the water. With a plunk, the arrow gave a small splash, and then wiggled slightly as the pinned fish tried to escape.

Merida grinned, pulling the arrow out of the rocky bed and holding it up to showcase the large, limp fish on it. "Breakfast." She smiled.

Her mother pulled back slightly, surprised, and then smiled widely and applauded Merida's catch.

"Oh, wait." Merida smirked slightly. "'A princess should not have weapons' in your opinion."

"Uh-huh." Elinor nodded, making a noise that sounded almost human as she smiled agreeingly, and then she paused. She seemed to catch up as she shook herself out and glared at Merida with a light growl.

"There you go," Merida said with a light undertone of smugness as she held up the arrow with the fish. Elinor leaned in, sniffing at the fish. "Oh, go on." Merida told her, slightly annoyed with how long her mother was taking. Then the fish gave a violent wiggle, and Elinor jerked back with a disgusted noise, waving the fish away with one paw. "How do you know you don't like it, if you won't try it." Merida tried using her mother's own words against her again, but the Queen merely gave her an incredibly dry look that reminded Merida of Hiccup.

After a little while, it became utterly clear that Queen Elinor would not eat a raw fish, so Merida gathered some tinder and a couple of stones to start a small fire. She roasted the fish for her mother on a spit, and once it was finished she moved it onto a large leaf on a stone in front of her mother. Queen Elinor gave an appreciative sound and, using her utensils again, cut a tiny piece of fish and ate it. Elinor nodded to Merida, letting her know that her camping cooking skills were good enough to impress the Queen, and then she dove.

Merida jumped back as her mother tore into the fish with nothing but her large teeth, devouring the whole thing in less than a minute. When she finished, she noticed Merida's wide-eyed staring, and sat up, looking a little sheepish and dabbing her mouth with a leaf. She gave a small burp, and Merida swore that if the Queen were human in that moment she would have been blushing.

Elinor held up two claws, her eyes sparkling with a hopeful smile, so Merida repeated the task once again, catching two fish and cooking them on a spit. When she placed them in front of her mother, Elinor dove in immediately, and Merida yanked her hands away so she wouldn't end up with a missing finger. Within moments, the fish were gone and Elinor was holding up four claws with a bright smile. Merida gave her a bland look, and then pointed to the river, silently telling her to do it herself.

Elinor's eyes went wide, and she looked out at the river, but after a moment, she drew herself up, removed her crown to place it carefully on a rock, and then started towards the river.

Her first attempts were quite amusing for Merida to watch. She stood at the top of the rapids, swiping at a couple fish as the jumped passed her, or trying to wrap one up in her big bear arms, but her delicate tries lead to her losing her footing and falling over into the water. Merida couldn't help but laugh as her mother surfaced, getting hit in the face by a fish, and then immediately getting a hit by a second fish on the other side.

Taking pity on the Queen, Merida decided to help her out some. She caught a fish and tried to show her mom how a bear would catch a fish with their mouths. When her mother got an idea of what she was supposed to do, she stood with her mouth open, waiting for a fish to come out. A fish jumped out of the water and straight into her mouth, getting stuck in her throat. She gargled a bit, and then spat the fish out as Merida laughed. As Elinor recovered, another fish jumped out of the water, and she snapped at it, catching it in her teeth. She looked over at Merida excitedly, holding the fish in her mouth, and Merida laughed as she clapped happily for her mother.

Her mother dedicated all of her focus to catching fish after fish as Merida watched from her perch on a rock near her. Her mother caught fish as they jumped over the rapids, and dove through the calmer waters trying to catch others. Eventually, Merida decided to try catching a few more too, and she did manage to catch one fairly quickly, but it wiggled violently in her hands as she held it up, causing her to slip on the rocks and fall over into the water.

Hearing a low grumbling sound, Merida pushed her hair out of her face to see what her mother was worrying about, but was surprised to see her mom laughing a chuckling bear laugh, and Merida couldn't help the grin that stretched across her face.

Soon trying to catch the fish turned into simply chasing them around the calmer waters with great splashes, and that quickly turned into Merida and Elinor trying to splash each other as they laughed and yelped and shouted happily in the warmth of the afternoon sun.

At some point Merida turned around with the biggest smile, pushing back her sopping wet curls, and looked over at her mom who was holding a raw fish, and eating it, too. Merida paused, thinking deeply as her mother licked her paws clean. How long had it been since she and her mom did anything like this together? When was the last time she saw her mom do anything so spontaneous and crazy? It felt like forever, but Merida felt something warm growing in her chest in that moment, and she was suddenly extremely grateful for this moment. For this time with her mom.

Looking up, Merida noticed Elinor climbing out of the water and lumbering towards the forest on all fours. "Hey!" Merida called lightly, chasing after her with plenty of splashes. She made sure to grab her cloak and bow when she was out of the water, and then followed after her mom. "Where you going?"

Neither Merida, nor her mom, noticed the golden crown that had been left on a stone near the river.

"Mom!" Merida called as they walked deeper into the woods. "Come back!" She pulled on her mom's back, trying to get her attention, but pulled back a second later as her mom turned around.

Elinor's eyes were completely black and beady, too. She snorted and growled at Merida, advancing on her as Merida backed away, frightened but trying desperately to swallow it down. What was wrong with her? What was happening to her mom? Why was she acting like this?

For a moment, the bear stopped advancing, and Merida looked at the snarling creature with large eyes. "Mom?" She murmured, slowly reaching out towards her mom. "Is that you?"

The beast gave a roar and lifted a large, clawed paw as it started to lunge towards her. Merida screamed and looked away, screwing her eyes shut and preparing for the terrible pain that was sure to come, but it didn't.

"Uh..." Merida said shakily, looking up she could see her mom's eyes were back to normal, and she looked between Merida and her own raised claws with confusion and fright. "Mom?" Merida finally asked, and Elinor looked at her and then pushed herself up onto her back paws. "You changed... Like you were a..." Merida paused, and her mom grumbled worriedly. "Like you were a bear on the inside."

Elinor looked worried, and kept looking down at her paw, but suddenly her ears perked up and she looked at something over Merida's head. Turning around, Merida looked at whatever it was that had caught her mom's attention, and paused. There, in the clearing, was a floating blue light, whispering to them quietly.

"A Wisp." Merida breathed, and a second later her mom darted passed her. Elinor pounced on the Wisp, trying to catch it, but it only disappeared, and then reappeared next to her. "Mom!" Merida shouted. "Stop it!"

Sensing something, Merida and Elinor glanced up at the same time, and there was the Wisp, floating right above Merida's head. "Mom, no!" Merida ducked, and Elinor clapped her large paws together just above Merida's head in another attempt to catch the Wisp.

"Mom!" Merida called again as her mom ran off chasing the Wisp through the trees. She darted back and forth until the Wisp flew through a large stone and, because she wasn't looking where she was going, Elinor ran head first into the rock and slumped against the ground. Merida muttered angrily as she stalked over to where her mom was struggling to get to her feet and stood beside her. "Mom, I know you're scared, you're tired, you don't understand, but we've got to keep our heads. Rapunzel, Jack, and Hiccup will be here to help us soon. Just calm down. Listen."

The two stopped and waited, listening carefully as they looked all around them. The forest was silent, not a sound to be heard. And then, a whisper. The two turned around, following the sound, and just a few feet down the path was a Wisp, floating peacefully in the air. More appeared behind it, creating a trail for them to follow, and Merida turned to her mom.

"They'll show us the way." Merida told her quietly, softly. Elinor seemed to be calmed and gave a small nod of understanding, and then, together, they set off into the trees, following the Will 'O the Wisps.

* * *

They followed the Wisps for a very, very long time. Eventually the sun began to disappear and a heavy fog covered the land, giving Merida a few chills, but she ignored them. She could smell salt in the air, so she knew they were somewhere close to the ocean, but she had never traveled this far into the forbidden forest. At some point Elinor dropped onto all fours, her paws hurting from walking so long, and Merida had to wonder where exactly the Wisps were taking them, but those thoughts were quickly chased away as the trees changed from lush and green, to empty branches and dead. The fog curled around everything, and it was all rather unnerving, but a stone archway appeared through the fog, and Merida gasped.

"Look!" She said as she and her mom approached the arch. At the top of the arch was a symbol of crossed axes, and Merida recognized it almost immediately. Ms. Carver had shown her a coin with the same symbol on it, and now Merida looked up at the arch with wide eyes.

Passing through the arch, they entered a sight full of old runes of a very old castle. possibly ancient.

"Why would the Wisps bring us here?" Merida asked, and her mom only replied with an equally confused roar as they wandered farther into the runes, climbing the broken stairs to reach the top. When they reached the top of the runes, Merida could see the ocean stretching out in three directions, leaving only a little open to the land. An excellent spot for defending against invaders, the warrior part of her noted. "Whoever they were, they've been gone for a long, long time -AHHH!" Merida screamed as the ground beneath her gave out, and dropped her into a secret chamber below the runes.

She landed hard on a steep, stone pile, and rolled to the bottom, hitting stone a second time as she came to a stop. Elinor roared and whined worriedly, looking down from the hole Merida had fallen through.

"I'm fine, mom!" Merida called quickly. "Just fine." She murmured, looking around at her new surroundings as she pushed herself up to standing. "It's a... It's a Throne Room." She told her mom. "You suppose this could've been the kingdom in that story you were telling me?" Merida inquired as she peered around at the crumbling throne on the cracked and broken dais. "The one with the princes." Merida added as a large slab of stone next to the dais caught her eye.

It depicted some men, standing side by side. Merida could hear her mom grumbling worriedly, but she was hypnotized by the stone tapestry. "One... Two... Three..." She counted, and then there was an enormous crack in the stone, severing the tapestry into two separate pieces. "Four. The oldest." Merida muttered, her heart pounding in her chest as her mind worked to put the pieces together and her eyes stared at the claw marks that marred the fourth image. "Split." Merida said, reaching to touch the stone. "Like the tapestry!"

Her hand met cold stone, and suddenly her vision flashed. _She saw her mom's tapestry with her own sword splitting it down the middle, and another flash brought the sight of an axe splitting the stone image of the four brothers. A giant man stood over the broken stone, snarling down at it, and then his head snapped towards her, looking straight at her-_

Merida yanked her hands away from the stone with a sharp gasp, her eyes were struggling so hard to regain their focus that they hurt, and Merida could feel her stomach curling with nausea as she back away from the stone, breathing hard.

"The spell." She muttered breathlessly. "It's happened before." Only now did she see the claw marks on the walls, and the piles of human bones that lay on the floor, and her heart started to pound faster and faster. "Strength of ten men... Fate be Changed..." Merida's eyes drifted back to the broken stone image, and then she looked up at her mom. "Changed his Fate. Oh, no..." Merida's breath started to pick up again, despite having just smoothed out. "The Prince became..."

Merida heard something crack quietly behind her, and slowly she turned around, her eyes drifting up, up, up to come face to face with the largest creature Merida had ever seen.

"Mor'du."

Elinor roared loudly, but Mor'du bellowed even louder. Merida drew her bow within a single heart beat, and let the arrow fly, only to have it stick in the beast's fur with completely no effect at all. Merida scrambled backwards, tripping on stones and bones as she rushed to get away from the charging beast.

She let loose another arrow, but this one bounced off of his skull uselessly, and Merida screamed as she ducked around the crumbling throne. Mor'du smashed into the stone, and Merida was knocked off her feet as a large stone hit her back. She landed hard on her side, and Mor'du lunged at her, but Merida managed to roll away just as the giant claws came down, tearing her cloak, but not her flesh.

Merida grappled against the stone pile, climbing as fast as she could to get away from Mor'du and reach for her mom's outstretched paw. Merida reached as far as she could, but the gap was too far, and Mor'du was nearly upon her.

With a deep breath, Merida leaped towards her mom's paw just as Mor'du managed to take a swipe at her. Mor'du's deadly claws missed, but Merida managed to catch her mom's paw and Elinor pulled her out of the hidden chamber as fast as possible.

Mor'du roared furiously behind them. Merida looked back, and Mor'du burst through the hole that Merida had fallen through, ready to rip her to pieces. Elinor roared and, with a great shove, pushed over a large tower of unstable runes that crashed against Mor'du and pushed him back down into the chamber.

Elinor and Merida didn't stop, though. They ran as fast as they could, and Merida swung herself up onto her mom's back because Elinor could run much faster. They were out of the runes and running through the forest within a few heartbeats, and Merida looked back to make sure that Mor'du wasn't following them.

Looking forward again, Merida couldn't see a thing because the fog was too thick, but she was aware that they were passing very tall stones that looked like dark blobs in the fog. She looked side to side as they passed more and more, but then she looked front again and screamed.

Five voices screamed as Elinor collided with a white blur. Elinor flipped over whoever they'd crashed with, and Merida went flying, both of them hitting the ground hard and groaning as they very slowly started to pushed themselves up to see who they had run into.

"Merida!" Rapunzel's voice became clear in Merida's mind as the golden-haired girl ran to give her a hug and make sure she was all right. "We've been looking everywhere for you!"

"What?" Merida asked, unable to think of a better question to ask after everything that had just happened.

"Oh," Rapunzel said, suddenly grimacing and then laughing nervously. "Well, you see, um..."

Elinor gave a grumble of confusion, and Merida and Rapunzel looked at her only to find that she was looking at a dazed, medium sized, blue-eyed Polar Bear that was still trying to get to his feet.

"Oh, no..." Merida covered her mouth with both hands, unsure of whether she should be laughing or apologizing.

The polar bear's head snapped up at the sound of her voice, and suddenly it was glaring at her. It got onto all fours and tromped over to her, proceeding to give a long and pronounced string of garbles and roars that Merida couldn't understand at all, but she was sure that it had something to do with her not warning Jack and Hiccup about the cake. The blue-eyed polar bear finished his rant with a snort.

"Jack?" Merida asked slowly.

Jack looked like he was about ready to bite her in that moment, but a loud squeak caught all of their attention, making them all turn to look at Elinor. The Queen looked as confused as they did, and then noticed a very puffy tail sticking out from under her front leg. She quickly stood up and released the incredibly adorable, tiny, raccoon-like creature that stumbled to it's feet and shook itself out, succeeding in making it's fur puff out more.

"Hiccup?" Merida inquired, and forest green eyes looked up at her with a very tired and annoyed expression. "You... -You're both bears!?" Merida exclaimed, unable to process the information after the near-death experience.

"Technically, Hiccup's a Red Panda, which isn't actually a bear. It's a relative of the Panda, but it has it's own unique family. They're sometimes called the Cat-Bear, which is kind of ironic if you think about Emma calling him Cat all the time..." Rapunzel laughed weakly as she walked over and picked up Hiccup who wasn't much bigger than a large cat.

Jack lumbered over to the pair, and Hiccup squeaked with indignation, climbing out of Rapunzel's arms and right onto Jack's head. Merida looked at the pair, and a large part of her wanted to laugh because Jack still had a grumpy pout on his polar bear face while Hiccup sat on top of his head with all four paws tucked underneath him and his ears drooped out to the sides.

"What happened to you?!" Merida questioned, but she was pretty sure she already knew, and Jack roared at her with an expression that clearly read 'isn't it obvious?'. Hiccup squeaked in agreement.

"Okay, okay!" Rapunzel stepped between them, calming down the annoyed boys and overwhelmed Merida. "I'm sure Merida had absolutely no intention of getting you turned into bears, and I'm certain that she's going to do everything she possibly can to get you back to normal before the second sunrise! Right, Merida?" Rapunzel turned to her, looking hopeful, and Merida nodded determinedly.

"I am so sorry. This is all my fault!" Merida told them, feeling awful about this whole big mess. Not only had she cursed her mom, but two of her closest friends, too. "But the only way to fix this is if we go back to the castle." Merida told them.

"What?" Rapunzel looked at her like she was crazy, and Elinor, Jack, and Hiccup gave similar grumbles of shock, looking at each other questioningly.

"If we don't hurry, mom will become like Mor'du! A bear! A real bear!" Merida explained, her hands shaking horribly. "Forever! And I don't even know what'll happen to Jack and Hiccup!" The other four looked at each other worriedly, ears dropping back in fear and worry. "Mend the Bond, Torn by Pride. Ms. Carver gave us the answer. The Tapestry!"

The others seemed to understand at this point, but Rapunzel looked uncertain.

"Merida, how are we going to get three bears into the castle? Your dad has guards posted everywhere for the games, not to mention the teachers." Rapunzel reminded her.

A soft roar made them look at Jack and Hiccup. They both sat tall and puffed out their chests, looking pleased with themselves, and Merida grinned.

"I bet you two know of a way to get us inside, don't you?" Merida smiled knowingly at them, and they shrugged, trying to look nonchalant about the whole thing. Elinor gave an appreciative roar and the boys grinned as best they could with their individual bear faces.

"All we have to do is get to the tapestry. Once we fix it everyone will turn back to normal." Merida was certain it would work. It had to.

"Alright, well, we're behind you one hundred percent." Rapunzel reassured her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "But I do have one question... Where are we?"

Merida looked around, and suddenly she realized that she couldn't recognize anything. Nothing in the surrounding trees looked even vaguely familiar. The only thing she was certain that she had seen before were the giant, tall stones that stood in a perfect circle all around them.


	15. Show Us The Way

_NOTES:_ What you want, and what you need are two very different things...

 **Music:** "Show us the way" by Patrick Doyle (Brave 2012)

**Chapter 15: Show Us The Way**

"Oh, isn't this interesting." Pitch Black purred wickedly as he circled his cauldron, letting his middle finger trail along the edge of the metal rim as he looked down at the image before him.

The cauldron showed him five figures traveling through the deepest parts of the Forbidden forest, and how wonderful was it that three of those figures were unable to use magic? The Winter Sprite was completely defenseless along with his _dearest_ friend and the _Queen_ of all Scotland! It was all too perfect! The girl stirred up more trouble with her engagement then he'd hoped for!

Oh, yes, today was going to be a good day, Pitch was sure of it.

"We should strike now! They're ours for the taking! You'll have your revenge on the other three, and I'll have my flower rightfully returned, and just imagine the ransom we could gain from the Queen of Scotland, only to return her as a bear with no way of becoming human ever again! Beautiful chaos would ensue, and we would have everything we wanted and the funds necessary to raise your army once again!" Gothel was positively ecstatic as she leaned against the cauldron, letting her cheek rest against the edge as she fluttered her lashes dreamily.

"Yes, this is a very opportune situation, but we must proceed with caution. There's no telling when North and the other Guardians will appear to save their little pets." Pitch agreed thoughtfully. "Stay here and keep a close eye on them. I will send some Nightmares to the ruins."

"And where are you going?" Gothel wanted to know, narrowing her brow as Pitch slowly walked towards the shadows that consumed the edges of the cavern.

Pitch looked at her over his shoulder and smirked darkly. "Why hide something behind the locked doors of the tallest tower in Hogwarts when it could bring the downfall of your greatest enemy?" He asked her.

"What are you babbling on about?" Gothel demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.

"North is hiding something. Something he believes I can use against them. I intend to find out what it is." Pitch clarified for her.

"You think it may have something to do with the Prophecy?" Gothel inquired, more curious and anxious now.

"I'm almost certain." Pitch chuckled as he stepped backwards. The shadows clawed and crawled as they consumed him completely, and within a heartbeat, Gothel was alone in the cavern, surrounded by Pitch's shadows.

* * *

"We've been walking for hours!" Merida groaned as she jumped down from a fallen log, following after Jack and Hiccup as Rapunzel and her mom brought up the rear. "This isn't working! There isn't much time left, and I still can't see the Hogwart's towers through the trees!"

The sky was beginning to dim, turning a deep purple color as the stars began to blink awake while the sun disappeared beyond the horizon. Her mother's first sun rise had already passed, and now, as the day turned to night, Merida could feel her nerves building up inside of her. In just a few hours the sun would return to rise again, and if they didn't fix the tapestry before then... Merida shook herself, refusing to think of that. They would get to the tapestry, fix it, and her mother would be back to normal by the end of the night. Merida swore it on her own life.

"Merida's right." Rapunzel agreed. "Hiccup, you spend a lot of time in these woods, do you recognize anything?"

Hiccup was sitting on his back paws and shook his head, giving a few squeaks. Jack gave a little grumble back, and then Hiccup squeaked a few times, and then Elinor uttered a light groan. The three looked at Merida and Rapunzel expectantly.

"Uh... I don't suppose you caught any of that, did you?" Merida asked slowly, turning to Rapunzel.

"I wish I knew a spell that could at least let them talk. Then we could communicate and come up with a plan like we always do." Rapunzel sighed hopelessly. Hiccup squeaked and reached a paw up to pat Rapunzel's hand comfortingly.

Jack gave a roar of excitement, suddenly, and they all turned to look at him. Jack roared again, and then looked down at his front paws. Using one to keep him steady on his three legs, he used the fourth one to draw in the small patch of dirt with his claw.

With his giant paw and awkward arm angles, writing wasn't exactly the easiest thing, but in the dirt he had managed to sketch out some squiggly letters that Merida just managed to make out.

"Wisp? The Will o' the Wisps?" Merida asked, looking to Jack to see if she had read correctly. Jack nodded enthusiastically and used his writing paw to point at her. "Me?" Merida questioned incredulously. "Look, I don't know what all of you think, but it's not me that's making the Wisps appear! They just show up whenever they feel like it, it seems..."

"Legend says that the Wisps reveal themselves to those of a Great Fate or extremely talented Seers. You might actually fit under both categories considering everything that's happened this year." Rapunzel pointed out.

"That doesn't mean they just show up and tell me everything I need to know!" Merida exclaimed in her frustration. "They're hardly ever around when I really need them, just like right now!"

"Merida, I -" Rapunzel stopped herself and looked down at Hiccup who was pawing at her hand again, but this time it was to get her attention. "What is it, Hiccup?"

Hiccup gave a squeak and dropped to all fours, scampering over to a small hedge near the edge of the path. He squeaked at them again, and this time all four of them walked over to see what he was trying to show them.

Elinor gave a confused sounding grumble as the five companions found themselves staring down at a footprint. Or, more accurately, a _hoof_ -print. Had someone come through here on a horse recently? Had they reached a path near Hogsmeade, or another village perhaps?

Jack sniffed loudly, wrinkled his nose thoughtfully, and then leaned down to sniff the hoof-print more closely. He and Hiccup exchanged a few grumbles, and all Merida and Rapunzel could do was stand by as they talked among themselves.

It was really starting to annoy Merida how often she felt so helpless in this situation filled with bears and Wisps.

Jack looked up, and Hiccup scrambled onto Jack's head. They both looked at the two princesses and the Queen with big, bright eyes, excited for whatever conclusion they had come to. Merida and Rapunzel glanced at each other, and then shrugged. It wasn't as if they had much to lose.

With a nod from Merida, Jack and Hiccup started leading them down the path once again, this time steering towards the right instead of the left. The boys lead the into the trees, and though Merida felt a bit anxious that they were heading away from the sunset, therefore away from the ocean and away from Hogwarts, she managed to keep herself calm by reminding herself that she would trust Jack and Hiccup with her life, she could trust them with her mom.

The fog was starting to rise as the cold set in, the last few rays of light too weak to offer any real warmth to the freezing travelers as they tried to make their way through the dark forest. Merida wondered how on earth they had even managed to travel so far into the forest. Even if they were farther into the forest than she had ever gone, Hiccup should've still been able to make his way with ease.

It was a scary thought, but after seeing that rock circle several times and the ruins where Mor'du had been hiding, Merida wondered if there was something wrong with forest itself. Maybe the Forbidden Forest was cursed? There were rumors around the school, all sorts of theories about why the Forbidden Forest was forbidden. Merida's sensible side told her that it was the dangerous creatures that live there, and that was all. There was no dark spirit haunting the forest, and the forest itself was not alive with dark magic.

But with the cold and the darkness setting in, it became all too easy for her imagination to turn the gnarled tree branches into clawed hands.

"Does anyone else feel like they're being... Watched?" Rapunzel asked shakily, huddling close to Merida and Elinor.

Jack's pace slowed a little bit as he shrank back to be close to them, his ears pressed flat against his head. Hiccup was crouched on his head, eyes wide as they darted this way and that, his fur puffed up so he looked nearly twice his actual size. Elinor gave a soft grumble as the five grouped together, their shoulders and sides brushing as they moved slowly along the path.

The darkness seemed to be pressing in on them. It was a suffocating, petrifying sense of fear. But they realized too late that they had felt this once before.

A horse-like shriek split the air, and the four whirled around to see three Nightmares charging straight at them.

"Move!" Merida shouted, lunging to one side as the others did the same.

The Nightmares ran through the path they created by splitting apart, but then two of the Nightmares turned towards Merida and Elinor while the other one rounded on Rapunzel, Jack, and Hiccup, separating them from each other.

"Look out, Mom!" Merida cried as the Nightmares charged again, and Merida loosed an arrow and shot. The arrow struck the first one right in the chest, turning it back into dust, but the second one reared up, causing Merida to fall backwards.

Merida stared up in horror as the Nightmares hooves glinted wickedly in the weak light, ready to come down and crush her, but the terror was quickly replaced by relief when Elinor slammed into the Nightmare, clamping her huge jaws down around the Nightmare's neck. Within a moment the second Nightmare was nothing but dust.

Rapunzel's scream ended their short victory. They turned to see that two more Nightmares had appeared, and the three had corner her friends. Jack was roaring defensively, but the white fur on his head was stained red with blood from some injury, Rapunzel had her wand out, and Hiccup was growling, swiping out if one of the Nightmares got to close.

Merida loosed an arrow, ready to jump in and help her friends, but something whipped passed her head, and in the next instant two of the Nightmares had turned to dust, and the third was looking around wildly. An arrow shot just above the Nightmare's shoulder, giving a loud thunk as it embedded itself in a tree, and the Nightmare immediately turned tail and ran off into the trees.

Four, very large figures darted passed Merida and the others, chasing after the Nightmare with battle cries and loud, thundering hoof-beats.

Snapping out of the short trance that had taken hold of her, Merida ran to her friends, Elinor following close behind, and Rapunzel hugged her tightly. Together, the five turned to look around them as Centaurs surrounded them, armed with bows and swords. The noble Wilder-Creatures looked down at them from their great heights, and Merida felt very small in comparison to these old and wise creatures.

There must have been at least thirty centaurs standing all around them, staring at them with varying looks of curiosity, caution, and distaste. Elinor, Jack, and Hiccup pressed in close to Merida and Rapunzel.

A tall, even among his own people, centaur stepped forward. His hair was long black silk, just like his hide, but his tail was tipped with white. One side of his head was tightly braid into five braids, but the other half was left to hang loosely like his tail. His eyes were hazel, and he was armed with a sturdy bow and a quiver full of arrows.

"I am Sypys. Head Stallion of the Forbidden Forest. These are the warriors of my tribe." He introduced himself formally, his nobility and strength resonating in every word. "Who are you, and why have you come to the forest?"

Merida looked at the others, unsure of what she should say or do, but Rapunzel only looked just as lost as she felt, and everyone else could only speak bear. After a long moment of silent uncertainty between their group, Jack used his nose to nudge Merida forward.

She stumbled just a bit, and quickly righted herself before the wise centaur, shooting a glare at Jack over her shoulder and promising herself that she would get him back for that later. Looking up, she felt her palms start to get sweaty and her throat go dry as she took a deep breath while trying to think about what she should say.

"I, uh..." She started horribly and inwardly cringed at herself, but pressed on. "Well, it's kind of a long story..." She told him lamely.

Sypys regarded her calmly. He was guarded and closed off, and Merida could sense the tension in the air. If she wasn't careful, things could go very, very badly very quickly. Sypys remained silent, so Merida figured that meant he was waiting for her to elaborate a bit more.

"Um, well..." Merida gulped and hoped that somehow she and her friends would survive this.


	16. The Centaurs

_NOTES:_ We don't meet people by Accident. They are Meant to Cross Our Paths for a Reason.

**Chapter 16: The Centaurs**

Merida couldn't remember a single time in her life when she was more nervous than she was in that moment. They were surrounded by centaurs who were armed to the teeth, and Merida had no way of knowing if they were friendly or not. To make their situation worse, Jack was sporting a nasty head wound, and the blood staining his white fur had already rolled down over his left eye, drenching the entire side of his face.

Jack's legs were shaking as he tried to remain braced for another fight, Rapunzel stayed by Jack, trying to stop the bleeding with a small handkerchief Rapunzel carried with her, and Hiccup stood on his hind legs, his eyes darting about as he looked between Jack and Rapunzel and the centaurs. Elinor stood tall and firm beside Merida, offering some comfort as the Princess faced the Head Stallion.

"Who are you?" Sypys, the very large Stallion that lead the centaurs, repeated once he did not receive an answer from the last time he asked.

Hiccup scurried forward and started squeaking rapidly, trying his best to communicate something, but it wasn't working. Merida could feel her own face falling into a hopeless line as Hiccup's squeaks caused the Head Stallion to tilt his head slightly and curiosity.

"We're students," Rapunzel said suddenly, and Merida sighed in relief as the taller girl stepped forward to join her before the centaur. She bent down and scooped Hiccup into her arms, ignoring his squeak of indignation. "Please, we're students from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Our friend was hurt by the Nightmares, and we're terribly lost." She told him, placing a hand on Jack's shoulder as he slowly stepped forward to stay close to them.

"Why should two witches come to the forest with three bears as their companions?" Sypys questioned them, raising an eyebrow at them in his skepticism.

"That's just it! They're not bears! Our friends and my mom were turned into bears by a spell. The witch from the little cottage did it, but we couldn't find her, and now we're trying to get back to the castle in time to break the spell! Please, we need your help!" Merida pleaded with them. Surely such wise and noble creatures would be willing to offer them assistance.

"The forest is our home, and our home has been attacked many times in recent moons. As Stallion of this forest, I must do what is best for my people. We shall take the witches and their bears, and they will face trial before the herd!" Sypys announced to the other centaurs, and several nodded, drawing their bows and aiming them at Merida and the others.

"No, you can't!" Merida exclaimed. "We have to get back to the castle before sunrise!"

"Too much darkness has corrupted the forest. The shadows grow longer, and the other creatures step with caution within their home. I must do what is best for the forest. I must protect my people." Sypys told them, and though his voice was gentle in his explanation, his voice held no remorse for his decision.

"Please, you have to let us explain more! I know it's confusing, but we're trying to protect people, too!" Rapunzel begged, hoping to persuade the centaurs into listening.

"We will tend to the White Fur's injuries, but this place is not a safe place. Prove yourselves to the elders, and we will offer you aid in your journey." Sypys said, silencing them as several centaurs moved forward. Some approached Jack with bandages and herbs, some held their bows at the ready, pointed at the ground but poised for a fight.

"Sypys." A gentle, calming voice cut through the chaos of the five trying to argue with centaurs, and everyone looked behind Sypys to where the voice had come from.

Sypys watched as a young centaur, no older than Merida herself, moved forward until she stood beside Sypys. The young centaur was petite in comparison to the other centaurs, and she looked very short while standing next to Sypys, but all of them gave her their full attention.

She had platinum blonde hair that fell down her back in waves, and tiny wild flowers of blue and purple were tangled in her loose hair and tail. While her hair and tail were pale gold, the rest of her lower half was white with flecks of brown covering her flanks. She had long-haired socks around her hooves that started white and ended in light brown, she wore a brown top that wrapped around her breast, but she carried no weapons, and her eyes were a grey-white that almost blended in with the whites of her eyes.

"Arafess." Sypys greeted her with a nod. "What troubles you?"

"These are not the ones who caused the strange magic." Arafess told him, her voice naturally quiet. She walked over to Rapunzel and picked up Hiccup from her arms. Hiccup gave a grumble of annoyance, but made no move to fight against the younger centaur. "This one aided us in capturing the hunters that invaded the forest two moons ago. He came with Mr. Crood from the castle."

Hiccup squeaked rather loudly, giving an annoyed look that clearly stated 'that's what I said!'.

"I can See him with my Gift. What they say is true. He has been changed by magic, but not the magic that threatens us." Arafess said, allowing Hiccup to climb up to her shoulders as relief flooded through Merida's veins.

Centaurs were best known for having the deepest respect for Seers, and for producing the strongest Seers throughout history. From the centaurs reactions to Arafess alone, Merida knew that they had just gained a very valuable ally. Or, should she say, Hiccup had gained them a valuable ally.

"I am certain they mean us no harm." Arafess finished, looking up at Sypys.

Sypys looked at them with quizzical eyes for a long, silent moment. When he seemed satisfied, he turned the centaurs around them and motioned them away. "Tend to the White Fur's wounds, but we will not take them before the elders." He ordered, and the centaurs lowered their heads respectfully as they backed away and put away their weapons. "Forgive us, but the forest has become a much more dangerous place than it was before."

Merida and Rapunzel glanced at each other curiously, wondering what was causing the centaurs so much trouble, but nodded to Sypys.

"We understand. It wasn't that long ago Pitch Black attacked the school." Rapunzel told him, and Jack gave a soft roar of agreement as the centaurs finished wrapping the bandages around his head.

"If you don't mind me asking; what's been causing you so much trouble? Can't be something as simple as hunters, can it?" Merida asked, hoping to get information.

Most heavily forested areas were home to hundreds of Wilder-Creatures and Magical Creatures, and almost all of them were protected by the Council of Kingdoms and the Ministry of Magic, but that didn't stop certain bands of illegal hunters and black market traders from invading the forests. The Forbidden Forest was one of the most dangerous to be in, so not many hunters survived, and those that did were often chased out or captured by the centaurs and the teachers of Hogwarts who helped to keep the forest safe.

"The hunters come and go as they always do, but they never manage to take from the forest. We owe your teachers for that." Sypys informed them, nodding to Hiccup in a silent thanks. "The real danger hides within the shadows. Since the Season of Change we have sensed strange magic within the forest. It is changing our home, and interfering with magic far more ancient than you or I." He explained, and Merida shared a look of concern with her mother and Rapunzel. "I do not believe you to be the cause, and Arafess has declared you are not, but it is drawn to you. Do you know why?"

"Well, if you're talking about Pitch Black's Nightmares, I'm pretty sure he's trying to kill us for what happened during First Year." Merida answered slowly and a bit uncertainly. Elinor gave a roar of shock and concern after hearing that.

"The Nightmare King's dark magic has affected the forest. The Circle of Stones moves from place to place, neither taking, nor leaving, but always moving. The shadows grow longer, and more dangerous. I fear His darkness is growing once again." Sypys looked extremely troubled, and Merida couldn't blame him.

Pitch had sworn he would be back, and the Guardians had confirmed that he'd return at some point. Considering the damage he'd done during the War, all of the adults had every right to be concerned about his growing power, and after what had just happened, Merida's own worries had come right to the front of her thoughts.

She didn't worry too much about herself, seeing as she was a trained warrior and could defend herself easily, but Rapunzel and Hiccup didn't care much for fighting. It worried her that they may be cornered by Pitch one day with no one there to help them. But in all honesty, she was most worried for Jack. The son of the man responsible for putting Pitch Black away the first time. The boy brave enough to stand against the most powerful Dark Sorcerer in the world. Jack was probably at the top of Pitch's revenge list, and Jack being the one to get hurt in their scuffle with the Nightmares just a few moments ago only solidified her worries even more.

"Have you seen Pitch in the forest? Do you know where he is?" Merida questioned, but Sypys shook his head.

"We have only seen his shadows and his Nightmares. We chase them from the sunrise to the sunset, but they never lead us to their master or their kin." Sypys's brow furrowed as he sighed in frustration, but it was hard to see the centaur as anything but calm and regal.

"I have tried to See what is to come, but the darkness clouds my Sight so that I cannot See. My Lady Fate has offered only a few visions of moons to come, but they are unclear to me. Have you Seen our fate, Witch-Seer?" Arafess looked directly at Merida, and suddenly all eyes were boring into the red-haired princess.

"Uh..." Merida stuttered nervously, her palms sweating as she felt her stomach coil tightly. "I -I don't think so. I... I'm not even sure if I've ever had a vision..."

"Our elder-Seers cannot See, either." Arafess looked worried, and Hiccup squeaked as he slipped down onto the ground and looked up at the young centaur. Arafess turned to Sypys. "We must speak with the elders. I believe we should converse with the Guardians, but the other Seers do not agree. I am young and inexperienced, but they will listen to you."

Sypys nodded. "I have sent words of warning through Mr. Crood, but it is time we begin gathering our forces." He turned back to the four and Elinor and bowed his head respectfully. "We shall guide you to the forest's edge where you will see your school, but then we must depart to convince the elders of our choices."

"Thank you!" Rapunzel bowed gratefully to them, but Merida was just happy that something good had finally come their way. "Thank you so much!"

"We'll tell the Guardians about everything that happened. If your elders won't let you come to them, we'll convince them to go to you." Merida promised, seeing it as only fair.

"You have our thanks, young Witch-Seer." Sypys nodded to her. "May Lady Fate be with us all."

After that it wasn't long before Sypys had gathered three of his archers and Arafess to help guide them back to the school. The rest of the centaurs were sent ahead to finish their patrol and then return to the herd.

Hiccup had climbed up onto Merida's shoulder as they walked, his short legs unable to keep up with them and Jack's head too tender for him to stand on as he had been. Merida walked at the front of the group next to Arafess and Sypys. Behind them was Jack and Rapunzel, and then Elinor and the other centaurs spread out around them in case more Nightmares decided to ambush them.

They walked in silence for a long time, whether out of fear of attracting dangerous creatures or simply because it had been a long day for everyone, Merida wasn't quite sure, but she was too lost in her own thoughts to notice. She couldn't stop thinking about the Stone Circle. Sypys had mentioned it earlier, and part of her was relieved to hear that the Stone Circle was moving to different places, but the other part of her worried about what this could mean about Pitch's power.

Where did the stones come from? Did someone place them? Did someone enchant them? Did the stones have magical properties themselves? Were the stones somehow tied to the Wisps? What were they for?

None of it made any sense to Merida, and so she turned to Sypys. "You mentioned a Circle of Stones earlier." She started, gaining his attention. "I think I've seen it, a couple times now, and I was wondering... What are they for? The Stones, I mean..." Merida asked.

"I know not." Sypys shrugged easily, giving a light smile at Merida look of surprise. "The Stones are of magic as ancient as the Great Moor itself. We know not where it came from, nor it's purpose. All we know is that the magic is very old, and very powerful."

"So, if the Stones are reacting to Pitch's dark magic, that must mean that Pitch is powerful enough to control that magic?" Merida felt sick at the idea. Ancient powers were dangerous, and they were not to be taken lightly. If Pitch had somehow figured out how to control one, well, Merida didn't even want to think about it.

"No." Sypys told her. "Pitch has no control over the Stones. We have made sure of that. But the Stones are reacting to the dark magic within the forest."

"Which means Pitch is strong enough to influence the Stones." Merida clarified, and Hiccup gave a soft rumble.

"Yes." Sypys agreed, nodding grimly. "There are dangerous times ahead, Witch-Seer, we all must tread carefully."

When he finished, their party passed underneath a large, low-hanging tree branch. Merida felt relief and excitement flush through her as she looked up to see the castle sitting at the top of the rise. Rapunzel gasped when she stopped behind Merida, and Jack and Elinor gave roars of delight.

"This is where we must leave you." Sypys announced, causing Merida and the others to turn and look at the centaurs.

"Thank you for everything." Merida bowed deeply. "I'm not sure if we would've been able to find our way back without you."

"No trouble was caused." Sypys replied. "I wish you all peace, and may Lady Fate be kind to you in your endeavor." With a humble bow of his head, Sypys turned and motioned his fellow centaurs back into the forest.

However, Arafess stepped forward, standing before Merida, Hiccup, Rapunzel, and Jack as Elinor stood off to the side, watching curiously.

"Your friendship is good, and your hearts are pure. I cannot Seen the paths laid before you, but I know they are long and treacherous. I wish for you love and strength to help you through the darkness ahead." Arafess whispered to them, and the four exchanged looks of confusion as she stood up straight.

"Arafess." Sypys called from the edge of the trees.

"May our paths cross again some day." Arafess bowed her head in goodbye, and then turned to follow Sypys into the trees.

Hiccup gave a squeak, and Merida could almost hear the sarcastic quip from her friend. Jack snorted in response, and then the four turned to Elinor who looked at them worriedly.

"Don't worry about that, mom." Merida said, walking over and hugging her mother tightly, and then pulling back again to look her in the eyes. "Right now let's just focus on getting you back to normal."

Together, Merida and Elinor looked up at the castle that stood silhouetted against the night sky.


	17. Not Now!

_NOTES:_ True Friends are there for the good times, stay during the bad times, and still love you all the time.

 **Music:** "Not Now!" by Patrick Doyle (Brave 2012)

**Chapter 17: Not Now!**

One after the other, five heads poked up from behind a rock and looked up at the heavily guarded castle. Sentries paced on top of the thick stone walls, torches lit up the entire courtyard, and half a dozen guards stood alert at the main gate.

Merida shared a looked with her mother who stood next to her, but the Queen shook her head, giving a snort of protest as she backed away from their hiding place.

"Mom!" Merida hissed, jumping down from the rock as her mother started to walk away. "Do you have a better idea?" Elinor looked back at her daughter for a moment, and then huffed a sigh as her ears drooped slightly.

A soft gruff caught their attentions, and both of them turned to Jack and Hiccup. Jack gave a grumble at Hiccup, to which the smaller bear responded with a couple of squeaks. Jack groaned happily and then turned to Merida and Elinor, nodding excitedly.

Merida and Elinor shared another glance, wide-eyed confusion this time, and then looked back at the boys.

Within a few minutes the five companions were gathered together far below the main bridge, out of sight from any of the sentries. The path was a bit treacherous with the tide rising and spilling into the ravine, but they managed to find enough stones above the water to make their way across to where a metal grate blocked off a dark tunnel. The opening to the tunnel was about five feet above the ground, meaning climbing up there would not be an easy task, and Merida had no idea how they were going to get the grate off.

"How do we get in there?" Rapunzel voice Merida's thoughts.

Jack lowered his head, and Hiccup hopped onto it. Standing straight up, Jack lifted Hiccup high enough so that the smaller bear could jump and catch the grate, squeezing through the bars with his small form. Merida could see flashes of red fur as Hiccup scrambled up the form of a suit of armor that was placed on the inside of the tunnel. While there were plenty of suits of armor throughout the entire castle, Merida would've questioned the placement of this one, until Hiccup popped up on the shoulder. His back paws pushing on the shoulder, Hiccup used his front paws to push on the upright sword in the armor's right hand until it creaked and then fell forward to guard position.

The grate creaked, and then shook slightly as it started to rise up, opening the tunnel to them as the grate disappeared into the stone wall above.

Hiccup looked up from where he hung on the sword, having fallen forward when the sword dropped, and gave them a toothy smile. Jack grumbled happily and a bit smugly.

"That'll work." Merida grinned as Rapunzel clapped excitedly.

* * *

Yelling and shouting could be heard echoing throughout the halls of the castle, but just outside the Great Hall it could rattle one's bones if they were not prepared. The four clans had separated themselves, using the long tables to form blockades as they shot arrows at each other, screaming and shouting with the occasional axe thrown across the Great Hall.

Lord Macintosh and his men had formed their blockade in the grand archway of the doors, which, admittedly, was a fantastic battle strategy, but that meant anyone who stepped foot on the stairway would be seen almost immediately.

Down the stairs, around the corner and on the floor, a piece of the stone wall scraped quietly as it was pushed open just a bit. Jack and Hiccup poked their heads out, looking all about, and then, once they were sure the coast was clear, they finished pushing the wall open for the others.

Merida, Rapunzel, and Elinor filed into the open corridor. Hearing the commotion, Merida looked at Rapunzel and her mother curiously, before venturing up the stairs to peek around the banister.

What she saw was chaos. The four clans completely divided, her father and his soldiers holding the dais as the other three Lords faced off in the circle, demanding answers. North and Bunnymund stood by, making sure that the battle didn't move beyond the Great Hall, but none of the other teachers were anywhere to be seen.

"No more talk! No more traditions! We settle this now!" Lord MacGuffin roared, waving his sword about angrily.

"You're the King! You decide which one of our sons your daughter will marry!" Lord Macintosh challenged, pointing his mace at King Fergus accusingly. An axe embedding itself in his barricade met his demand.

"None of your sons are fit to marry my daughter!" Fergus shouted, drawing his sword and stopping a spear with his shield.

"Then our alliance is over! This means WAR!" Lord Dingwall bellowed, and then dropped to the floor behind his blockade as fifty arrows struck his small fortress. The Lords and their men howled great battle cries, lifting their weapons as they threatened to come to blows with each other.

Merida yanked herself away and ran down the steps. "They're gonna to murder each other!" She told her mother as her friends looked at her worriedly. "You've got to stop them before it's too late!"

Elinor recoiled at the thought, placing her great paws on her chest questioningly, and then motioning to her large form to remind Merida that she simply couldn't go before the Lords and her husband like this.

"I know, I know!" Merida panicked. "But how do we get you through there and up to the tapestry with the lot of them boiling over like that?"

Her mother and friends exchanged uncertain looks as Merida groaned in frustration, gripping fistfuls of her hair. Then her mother looked thoughtful for a moment before her eyes lit up, and she pointed one of her long claws at Merida and grumbling softly. Merida looked up at her, confused, but her friends were smiling widely at her.

* * *

The Lords and the King were screaming louder than ever, raising their weapons and ready to dive into battle against each other, but their cries slowly began to fade as Princess Merida walked passed them silently, her chin lifted high and a calm expression on her face as she walked towards the center of the Great Hall.

They all stared at her, wide-eyed and uncertain of what to do, as Merida stood at the foot of the dais, locking eyes with her father for a short moment.

"What are you doin', lass?" King Fergus asked incredulously, vastly confused as to what his daughter was doing.

"It's alright, dad." Merida assured him, turning to face the Lords. She quietly cleared her throat, and then folded her hands neatly in front of her. "I, uh... I have, well, you see... I have been in conference with the Queen."

"Is that so?" Lord Dingwall questioned doubtfully as he climbed over his blockade and started towards her.

"Aye, it is." Merida bit back, the warrior inside her screaming to take the challenge head on, but she managed to refrain herself.

"Well, where is she then?" Lord MacGuffin inquired, pushing the over-turned table away as if it weighed nothing and stomping out from behind it.

"She, uh..." Merida said oh-so-eloquently as she searched her mind for an excuse.

"How do we know that this isn't some trick?" Lord Macintosh griped, brandishing his mace as he stalked forward.

"I've never -!" Merida was about to spit back at him, but all the Lords started speaking at once, surrounding her in a half circle.

"This is highly irregular!" Lord Macintosh said loudly.

"Where is the Queen?" Lord MacGuffin shouted.

The Lords voices began blending together into one, unintelligible blur as they pressed in on Merida, demanding that their Queen come forth and give them answers. Getting overwhelmed all of them yelling at her at once, Merida did the one thing she could think of in this situation.

"SHUT IT!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice bouncing off of the stone walls and silencing everyone.

Her father's hounds whined, falling away from the front of her father's blockade where they had been barking and snarling, ready for battle, and not one of the soldiers dared to speak, or even move. Merida could hear her father's delighted chuckle behind her.

"Well," Merida said, straightening up and lowering her voice to a normal speaking tone. "I, uh..." Merida looked about, but then her eyes snapped to the door where she could see Jack, Hiccup, Rapunzel, and her mother trying to sneak towards the stairs while everyone was distracted and not looking. Her mother motioned her to keep going as the pair tiptoed towards the stairs, but Merida had no idea what to say.

Seeing that she was distracted, Lord Macintosh followed her gaze, but Elinor froze in a silent roar like the bear statues her father owned, and Rapunzel ducked behind the Queen where she wouldn't be seen while the boys dove behind a tapestry. Macintosh looked back at Merida, his brow narrowed.

"Once... There was an ancient kingdom." Merida began, saying the first thing that came to mind.

"What is this?" Lord MacGuffin demanded.

"That kingdom fell into war, and chaos, and ruin." Merida told them, watching out of the corner of her eye as Elinor and Rapunzel started sneaking towards the stairs again.

"Bah, we've all heard that tale!" Macintosh scoffed, then added in a mutter. "Lost kingdom..."

"Aye, but it's true!" Merida continued. "I know now how one selfish act can turn the fate of a Kingdom."

"Gah, it's just a legend." Lord Dingwall sniffed.

"Legends are Lessons, they ring with truth." Merida stressed, finally feeling as if she had their attention. "Our Kingdom is young. Our stories are not yet legends, but in them, our bond was struck." Merida let her eyes drift to where Rapunzel, Jack, and Hiccup were peeking out of their hiding places, silently thanking them for everything. "Our Clans were once enemies. But when invaders threatened us from the sea, you joined together to defend our lands! You fought _for_ each other. You risked everything for each other." Merida smiled at her friends, and then turned her gaze to the Lords. "Lord MacGuffin, my dad saved your life stopping an arrow as you ran to Dingwall's aid!"

"Aye, and I'll never forget it." MacGuffin agreed softly, looking up at the King who nodded back.

"And Lord Macintosh, you saved my dad when you charged in on heavy horse and held off the advance!" Merida went on, and Macintosh smiled somewhat smugly, obviously flattered. "And we all know how Lord Dingwall broke the enemy line..."

"With a mighty throw of his spear!" Lord Macintosh exclaimed.

"I was aiming at you, you big Topsy!" Dingwall chuckled, rousing laughter from all of the men gathered in the hall.

"The story of this Kingdom is a powerful one." Merida said, gaining their attention again almost instantly. "My dad rallied your forces, and you made him your King." Merida looked up at her father on the dais, but her eyes Saw four first-years with their arms thrown in the air and great big smiles on their faces. "It was an alliance forged in Bravery and Friendship." She turned back to the Lords, and she saw her friends watching her from their hiding places, their smiles wide. "And it lives to this day."

Cheers erupted from all the men, echoing in the hall, and Bunnymund and North visibly relaxed as the tension from before disappeared into thin air. But Merida's smile faded as she slowly realized what she had to do now.

"But I've been selfish." She confessed, folding her hands in front of her humbly. "I tore a great rift in our Kingdom. There's no one to blame but me." She murmured. "And I know now that I need to amend my mistake. And mend our bond." Merida looked over to her mother, hoping that she knew how sorry she was for everything. Elinor's eyes were knowing, but also reflecting as she, too, felt the regret of their battles against each other.

"And so, there is the matter of my betrothal." Merida said, finding that the words felt weird on her tongue when spoken so officially, but she ignored the tight clenching of her heart and stomach. She ignored her fear because this is what she had to do. This is what was best for her Kingdom. Taking a deep breath, Merida sighed, and then looked straight at each of the Lords. "I've decided to do what's right, and -" Merida stopped, seeing her mother waving to her frantically. "And...?" Merida stalled, watching her mother sign to her silently. "And... Break tradition..."

Elinor nodded with a smile, as the Lords and men gasped, muttering to each other in alarm. The Queen began signing again, and Merida quickly tried to pick up what she was trying to say. "My mother... The Queen... Feels, uh, in her heart that I..." Merida tried, but Elinor shook her head and gestured widely. "That _we_ be free to... Write our own stories... Follow our hearts, and find love. In our own time." Merida smiled at her mother, finishing it herself as her eyes swelled, but there was no pain. Only warmth.

"That's... Beautiful." Dingwall sniffled as the other Lords blinked rapidly and sniffed once or twice.

"The Queen and I put the decision to you, my Lords. Might our young people decide for themselves who they will love?" Merida offered, unable to keep the smile from her face.

Macintosh was the first to step forward, recovering quicker than the others. "Well, since you've obviously made up your minds about this, I have one thing to say! This is -"

"A grand idea!" Young Macintosh interrupted excitedly, shocking the Lords. "Give us our own say in choosing our fate!"

"What?" Lord Macintosh squeaked, dumbfounded by his son's sudden rebellious attitude.

"Aye, why shouldn't we choose?" Wee Dingwall agreed.

"But she's the _Princess_!" Lord Dingwall argued, his eyes wide and shocked.

"I didn't pick her out. It was your idea." Wee Dingwall retorted with an amount of sass that surprised Merida into a grin.

"And you? You feel the same way?" Lord MacGuffin turned to his son questioningly, and Young MacGuffin looked a little uncomfortable as all eyes turned to him, but a babbled away in a way that Merida, for the life of her, could not understand. But, in that moment, she figured she already knew what he was saying, and she giggled happily. "Well, that settles it!" Lord MacGuffin decided easily. "Let these lads try and win her heart before they win her hand! If they can!" He announced, wrapping his arm around his son's shoulders.

Lord Dingwall punched Wee Dingwall's shoulder a few times as he danced happily. "I say that Wee Dingwall has a fighting chance!" He gave a sly look to Macintosh.

"Aye, then! Seems for once we agree! It was my idea in the first place." Lord Macintosh bragged, and then Dingwall punched his shoulder, bringing laughs from everyone.

Merida smiled and glanced at her mother who was nodding proudly, but she accidentally let a fond coo slip, and she and the others just barely managed to get back into their hiding spots before a soldier turned around to look at them.

Merida's attention was brought back to the Lords as they bowed deeply to her, and Merida gave a short, somewhat awkward curtsy. Turning around, she found her dad behind her, and Fergus placed a large hand on her shoulder.

"Just like your mom." He smiled, his eyes bright with love and pride and Merida blushed slightly. "Ye devil." Fergus added with a chuckle, making them both smile.

Turning to check on her mom, she gasped slightly, seeing that a soldier was inspecting her mother as she posed as one of the bear statues. Thinking fast, Merida turned to the crowd.

"Everyone to the cellar!" Merida called out, getting their attention quickly. "Let's crack open the King's private reserve to celebrate!" This was met by mighty cheers from all, and everyone immediately started to drift towards the stairs that would lead them down to the cellar.

"Whoa, whoa!" King Fergus called, grimacing at the idea, and then turned to a near by maid. "Psst, bring the tiny classes." He told her before walking off after everyone else.

Merida quickly shut the doors behind the crowd, and then skipped over to her mother and friends excitedly, singing happily as she tried to contain her joy. She stopped in front of her mother, and Elinor's eyes were fond as she used one large paw to cup Merida's cheek. Merida leaned into it, holding her mother's arm as a way of returning the loving gesture.

A grumble from Jack, though, brought Merida back to reality with a sharp gasp.

"The Tapestry!" She remembered, and after that it didn't take much. The five were able to make to her family's rooms without another incident, and they all gathered around the tapestry. Merida let her hand drift over the tear as she thought. "Mend the Bond. Stitch it up! This'll change you back! We just need a needle and thread!"

Elinor clapped her paws, turning to where she, seemingly, kept her needle and thread. Meanwhile, Merida and Rapunzel worked on figuring out how to get the tapestry off the wall with Hiccup standing at their feet with the same thoughtful expression.

A grumble made the three turn. "Mom?" Merida asked, wondering if something was wrong, and the three saw Elinor sniffing at a bowl of fruit before knocking it over completely, and Jack was sniffing at everything that Elinor knocked over. "Mom? Jack?! Not now!" Merida pleaded as she ran over to her mom. "No! Please, not now!"

"What do we do? What's happening to them?" Rapunzel asked, trying to get Jack to stop knocking a small table around.

"They're changing into bears on the inside! It happened to mom one in the forest, but who knows how long it'll take them to snap out of it!" Merida explained, holding her mother's head so she wouldn't move around too much.

"They're not all changing, look." Rapunzel smiled at Hiccup who was as aware and watchful as ever. He squeaked, trying to get in front of Jack to communicate with him, but when the larger bear saw him, Jack simply sniffed at his fur, nudging his shoulder with his nose. Hiccup did not look amused, but Merida was just glad to distract at least one of them.

A voice came from out in the hall, and Elinor growled, but Merida shushed her quickly, closing her snout with her hands. She had no idea why, but at least this time her mother wasn't so aggressive. Leaving her mother for a moment, Merida peeked out the small window to see her father passing by. He was heading for the room he shared with Elinor.

Merida didn't wait to see anything else, she ran to the tapestry and started yanking on it as hard as she could, trying to pull it off the wall while Rapunzel and Hiccup kept Jack and Elinor from destroying the entire room.

They all froze when they heard her father's anguished cry.

"ELINOR!"

Merida's heart hammered as she once again started yanking at the tapestry, trying to fix this mess before something even worse happened.

"It can't be true!" Merida could hear her father shouting down the hall. "ELINOR! Answer me, lass! ELINOR!"

And then the door was thrown open, and there stood her father with the most heartbroken expression she'd ever seen. "Merida!" He said, seeing her first as she tried to pull the tapestry down from the wall. Then his eyes went to Elinor as she growled at him viciously.

"Wait! Dad, no!" Merida said, standing between them. "It's not what you think!" She tried, walking towards her father, but he pushed her behind him.

"Merida, get back!" He ordered, but the force of his push made Merida lose her footing and fall hard on her side. Elinor took this as an attack and she snarled angrily at him.

"No!" Merida cried as Elinor roared, rising to her back feet as Fergus drew his sword. The two started swinging at each other, Elinor growling and roaring as Fergus shouted at her. "No, dad! Don't hurt her!" Merida shouted, shooting to her feet and grabbing onto Fergus's arm, trying to make him stop, and he shouted at her to get out of the way.

Almost immediately after the words left her father's mouth, Elinor's claws swiped down at them and caught Merida's arm, tearing her dress sleeve and leaving four deep scratches on her bicep.

Fergus yelled worriedly, and once again pushed Merida out of the way before turning back to the fight where the two circled each other. Fergus lunged forwards, but Elinor used one great paw to swat him to the side. The King hit the wall where the tapestry hung and then fell to the ground, Elinor roared, lifting her claws again for another strike, but a big white blur rammed into her side.

Jack used all of his power and momentum to knock the larger bear away, and Elinor landed hard on her side as Jack stared at her, panting, his eye wide and back to normal. Hiccup was clinging to Jack's head, his fur fluffed up from the surprise of the sudden charge.

Elinor panted as she sat up, shaking her head as her eyes cleared. She pushed herself up to standing, looking around her in confused horror. She looked at her paws, then Fergus as he struggled to get himself off the ground, and then Merida.

"Mom!" Merida sighed, relieved that she was back to normal, but Elinor whined as her eyes focused on her arm. Merida looked at it, revealing the scratches, and Elinor gasped, grumbling unintelligibly. "It's all right! I'm all right!" Merida quickly tried to reassure her, but Fergus was starting to get up. "It's nothing! It's just a little scratch!" But Elinor wasn't listening, she ran for the door. "MOM!"

Jack and Hiccup looked at Merida, and then at the Bear King who was almost back on his feet, they looked unwilling to leave, but Rapunzel gave them a shove.

"Go!" She told them. "You need to get out of here, now!"

Jack roared helplessly, but did as Rapunzel ordered, running out of the room as well and turning the same way Elinor had gone. The pair hoped to find Queen Elinor before she was spotted by someone else, but soon they were forced to shrink back behind the corner as they heard the Lords shouting just on the other side as Elinor roared in terror.

Merida turned to her father as he groaned, finally back on his feet. "Dad!" She ran to him.

"Oh, count your stars, lass, it almost had you! Are you hurt?" Fergus wanted to know, but Merida completely ignored him.

"It's your wife, Elinor!" She exclaimed. Not knowing that the main gate was slamming shut as her mother ran out into the forest, or that Jack and Hiccup watched helplessly from the shadows on the edge of the courtyard, looking at each other desperately for an idea.

"You're talking nonsense!" King Fergus snapped.

"It's the truth!" Merida tried anyways. "There was a witch, and she gave me a spell! It's not Mor'du!"

"Mor'du or not, I'll avenge your mother!" Fergus vowed, sheathing his sword and storming out of the room. "I'll not risk losing you, too." He said, closing the door behind him and locking the door.

"No, dad!" Merida shouted. "Just listen to me!"

"Please, sir, it's the truth!" Rapunzel joined her shouting, and they tried to convince the King to open the door.

"Listen!" Merida yelled, sticking her head through the small window as her father walked away with the key. "You can't! It's your wife, Elinor!"

Giving up, Merida backed away from the door, her hands going to her hair as she tried to think of how to get out. She suddenly turned, grabbing a small table and lifting it up to her head. She ran at the door with a scream, and threw the table, but it did nothing to the heavy wood of the door. Abandoning that idea, Merida grabbed one of the tools next to the fire place and started hitting the door with it over and over again. She jammed it into the door hinge and started pushing in the hopes of moving the door, Rapunzel even ran over to help her push, but they only succeeded in bending the metal fire instrument.

Merida held up the piece of metal, gripping it tightly as she did her best to keep in a scream of rage, but a noise outside the castle caught her attention. The two girls shared a terrified look, and then ran to the windows. Merida used the fire stoker to break a window, letting in the cold and the rain, and then looked out to see her father had gathered a hunting party. Torch lights and the sound of barking hounds began to fade into the forest as they crossed the bridge to give chase.

"Mom!" Merida cried into the cold night air, reaching her hand out towards the forest as the rain poured down. "No! No, Mom! Please! No...no... mom." She whispered turning as she fell onto her hip, curling up just beneath the window as tears began the spill from her eyes.

This was all her fault. What had she done?


	18. Mor'du

_NOTES:_ Noble Maiden Fair.

**Chapter 18: Mor'du**

Merida could still hear her father's hounds barking in the distance and the sound of thundering hooves trampling through the forest as Rapunzel knelt beside her. The golden-haired princess rested a hand on her shoulder, and Merida looked up at the other girl.

"Merida, we can't give up. There's still time to fix this, we just need a plan, o-or -" Rapunzel babbled, trying to encourage her, and Merida caught on pretty quick.

"The Tapestry." Merida said, interrupting Rapunzel's stutter, and the two girls looked at each other, and then over to the tapestry that still hung on the wall.

Within an instant, they were both at the wall, grabbing the bottom of the tapestry and pulling as hard as they could. With their combined strength, the hanging post came off the wall and the tapestry fell with it as the two girls yelped, falling to the ground after the shocking loss of all tension.

Pushing the tapestry off her head, Merida's eyes landed on the locked door, and her eyes lit up with a memory from one of their more recent Charm classes.

Merida stood and pulled out her wand. "The Unlocking Charm we learned a couple weeks ago. That'll get this door open!" She grinned, and then started to flick her wand into the proper movement as she opened her mouth to say the incantation, but the word quickly died on her tongue when Rapunzel grabbed her arm.

"Stop!" The other girl cried. "These are the guest rooms." Rapunzel told her as if that explained everything. "Professor Sandman Charmed all the locks on this side of the castle himself. No wizard is strong enough to open that door, let alone a third-year Thief spell. Who knows what will happen if you try to use magic on it."

Merida groaned loudly, her hands tensing into almost claw-like shapes. "How do we get it open then? We can't break a Sorcerer's spell, so magic won't help, and we haven't got anything that could break the door down."

"The only way we'll get that door open is if we have a key..." Rapunzel trailed off, and Merida had to think for a few moments before she finally thought of something that might help, and she ran to the door.

"MAUDIE!" Merida screamed at the top of her lungs, standing on her tip-toes to stick her head through the slightly too tall hole in the door. "I need you! NOW!"

"Do you think she can hear you?" Rapunzel asked, her hands visibly shaking as she bit her lip worriedly.

"I don't know, but we've got to do something!" Merida replied.

A noise from the other side of the door caught the girls' attention, and Merida poked her head through the window once again. She looked down the corridor in both directions, but looking to her right, she saw three little black bear cubs walk out of the shadows on their hind legs. Merida gasped sharply, and the triplets looked up at her with smiles, their ears perking excitedly.

"Oh, no..." Merida muttered, mentally reminding herself that she now had six bears to worry about, but then she caught movement in the corner of her eye. "Maudie!" Merida smiled, somewhat relieved.

Maudie froze where she was and looked at Merida with eyes the size of the Hogwart's dinner plates. The woman's eyes then drifted down to the three bears standing just a few feet in front of her, and a terrified frown found it's way to her petrified face.

She cried out, throwing herself back against the stone wall, and looked at Merida in her fright. Merida's face curved into a half-frown as her brow furrowed, and then she looked down at her brothers with a rather deadpan expression.

"Get the key."

The center cub, whom she assumed was Hamish, nodded with a hardened look, and then the three turned to face Maudie. The maid looked between Merida and the cubs, and then gulped as she steeled herself, holding up the key and stuffing it into the front of her dress.

The boys paused for a moment, and then all three of them started roaring with tiny, rather adorable squeaky roars. Despite the lack of intimidation, Maudie ran away screaming, and the boys hurried after her, leaving Merida and Rapunzel to their own devices.

"Alright, needle and thread, needle and thread..." Merida rambled as she gathered up the tapestry and looked around the room for a moment before her eyes landed on the chest across the room. She darted over and pushed the top open, digging through the contents of the chest until she found the tiny piece of shiny silver. "Ah! You're a beauty!" She exclaimed, holding up where it got the light.

* * *

Down in the lower levels of the castle, Maudie ran down a dark corridor, struggling to catch her breath as she headed towards a light-filled hallway. She stopped, though, when three long shadows appeared. Maudie stumbled backwards a bit, and then ran to a door on her right. Pushing her way through, she found herself in the kitchens, and she quickly used baskets and sacks of cooking and baking ingredients to blockade the door.

Once she was satisfied that nothing could get through the door, she hurried down the steps from the side-door, and breathed a sigh of relief as she backed away from the door, keeping her eyes on it before turning to walk away.

Maudie froze in her spot after she turned, her eyes finding a medium sized polar bear hunching over to look down at the red panda tha was chirping at him rapidly. Jack and Hiccup stopped instantly when they noticed Maudie's presence, and the two bears stared at her as she stared at them, unable to even make a sound.

Maudie started to back away from them as they continued to watch her, but a noise from above her head made Maudie look up at the metal hanging mantel that hung from the ceiling. One of the three bears that were perched on top of it jumped off, as if diving into a swimming pool, and dove straight towards her.

* * *

Merida and Rapunzel were hunched over the tapestry, knotting the thread and starting the sew. They stopped and looked up at the squeaky roar of Merida's bothers, and the two princesses grinned at the sight of Hamish's little paw holding up the key.

Within a few moments the door was open, and Merida charged down the corridor with the tapestry bundled partially in her arms and the needle and thread gripped tightly in her hand. Rapunzel followed close behind with the triplets around her feet and Jack and Hiccup taking up the rear.

The seven of them ran to the upper stables where Angus was, and Merida threw herself onto his back, her brothers racing to join her, while Rapunzel and Hiccup climbed onto Jack's back. Sensing her urgency, Angus didn't need any more prompt than Merida's kick to set off at full speed, and Jack somehow managed to keep up with them even while carrying Hiccup and Rapunzel.

They reached the edge of the tree within a few minutes, the triplets holding onto Angus's reins as Merida focused her attention on sewing the tapestry back together. Angus gave a lurch to one side, and Merida waved her arms as she cried out, nearly falling off of her horse's back, but she managed to steady herself again.

"Steady, Hamish!" Merida cried, her hands trembling as she tried to work with the tiny needle.

They rushed on, Hamish steering Angus and Jack running as fast as his legs would carry him. Merida could hear her friend's heavy panting as his paws thundered against the ground right beside Angus's.

Seeing a small stone in the path, Angus leaped over it as his adrenaline pumped with all of the tension in the air. Merida and her brothers wobbled in their spots, and struggled to hold on as the large horse continued on without slowing down even the slightest.

"Angus, easy laddie!" Merida shouted, but just as the words escaped Angus went flying into another leap over a fallen log. Jack ducked under and skidded a bit, but managed to move fast enough to keep up even without jumping the log. "Hubert, Harris, help Hamish!" Merida called to her other two brothers, and the scrambled to help calm Angus before someone fell off.

As Angus steadied out a little, Merida managed to get focused on the last bit of sewing that the tapestry needed. With a few more stitches, Merida quickly tied a few knots to make sure it would hold, and then she snapped the thread, holding up the tapestry with an ecstatic cry.

Before she could say anything, though, Angus slammed his front hooves into the ground and skidded to a stop. Jack tried to do the same, but he only managed to skid and fall onto his side, and then scrambled back to his feet in the next instant.

There, just in front of them, was a Will of the Wisp. More appeared beside it, forming a trail that lead away from their current path and off into the distance where a faint glow of fire could be seen and shouts heard.

Merida took the reins from her brothers and turned Angus towards the Wisps, calling for him to keep going. Merida followed the Wisps through the trees, the yelling in the distance growing louder with every stride.

* * *

Elinor's heart hammered in her chest as the shouts and yells grew louder behind her. The hunting hounds barked wildly, and Elinor turned to look over her shoulder, to see if they were gaining on her, but when she took her focus away from where she was going she lost her footing and fell forward.

Elinor landed hard on her chest and shoulder in the middle of a clearing. Looking about her frantically, Elinor realized she was laying in the middle of the stone circle that she and Merida had seen before.

Hearing the echoing sounds of her husbands battle cries much closer to her snapped the Queen from her daze, and she rushed towards the treeline. She ran towards one of the gaps between the stones, but the hunting hounds appeared, blocking the path as they snarled and barked viciously.

Frightened, Elinor whirled around to find another escape, but that was blocked by men waving swords and torches. She turned and ran towards the other side of the circle, but another torch and a spear met her then. More and more men appeared, surrounding Elinor and pushing her back until she was cornered against one of the stones.

They threw ropes over her, and pulled her this way and that. They managed to rope her front legs, and yanked the ropes in opposite directions so that her legs crossed awkwardly, forcing her to the ground.

Elinor struggled helplessly as all of the men pulled on the ropes, keeping her trapped as her husband came forward, pulling his sword from his sheath. Elinor looked up at him in a mix of terror and sadness. Her own husband, the man she loved with all her heart, couldn't recognize her. He was going to kill her.

Fergus raised his sword over his head, and with a mighty yell, he swung, but his sword was knocked away mid-swing by an arrow.

Angus appeared from the trees, and Merida dropped to the ground as her horse kept running through the clearing. The Princess drew her bow and leveled it at her own father, stepping over to stand between him and her mother.

"Get back! That's my mother." Merida snapped as her father stared at her in disbelief.

"Are you out of your mind, lass?" King Fergus questioned, still holding his sword despite being put off course.

Merida ignored him, and turned only slightly to speak over her shoulder. "Mom, are you hurt?"

Elinor shook her head, but Fergus shoved Merida aside with one hand, pushing her to Lord Macintosh who held her with his spear. Fergus lifted his sword again, and Merida reacted, grabbing Lord Macintosh's spear and pulling down. Lord Macintosh flew over her head, and Merida whirled, knocking the sword out of another man's hand just in time to grab it and lunge to meet her father, blocking his attack.

Fergus looked at her sword, wide-eyed, and then at her. "Merida!"

Merida beat on his sword, forcing the King back a few steps, and then swiped at his false leg. King Fergus fell onto his back with a thump, dropping his sword at his side. Fergus pushed up and stared at his daughter who held her sword at the ready against him and his men.

"I'll not let you kill my mother." Merida told him firmly.

The triplets appeared then, jumping on their father and sniffing at him curiously as their ears perked excitedly. They smiled widely as Fergus cried out in horror at being crawled on by three bear cubs.

"Boys." Merida said in that same hardened tone, and the boys looked up at her before moving to follow her silent order and getting off of Fergus.

"Boys?!" Fergus exclaimed incredulously, but then Jack came bounding from the edge of the clearing with Rapunzel beside him and Hiccup still on his back. He skidded to a halt at the sight of everyone staring at him. Jack grinned sheepishly, Hiccup tilted his head slightly, and Rapunzel bit her lip, unsure of what to do or say.

Before anyone could say or do anything, a loud stomping noise sounded on the other side of the clearing. Everyone looked over towards the sound, and a dark figure moved to stand twice as tall as it had before.

"Mor'du." Merida said.

"Kill it!" King Fergus shouted, and the men surged forward in their great numbers. Mor'du roared and swatted them to the side like toy trinkets. Throwing them into the stones, slamming them to the ground, and swiping at them with his deadly claws.

Within a few moments the men were down, and Fergus leaped into action. He punched the demon bear in the muzzle, circling to it's front as it rose to stand on it's back legs.

"Come on!" Fergus screamed. "I'll take you with my bare hands!"

Mor'du shoved him to the ground, and then took his good leg in his mouth and used it to throw the King across the clearing. Fergus hit one of the stones and then fell down to the ground hard.

"Flipendo!" Rapunzel cried, flicking her wand and sending a bright flash of light at Mor'du, but the spell simple shattered against the bear's ancient hide.

Mor'du turned on the golden-haired princess and started to advance as Rapunzel stumbled backwards. Jack lunged forward then, coming between the two and shoving Mor'du backwards. Mor'du stumbled slightly, but retaliated by biting Jack's throat and throwing Jack to the other side of the clearing.

Jack flew several feet and then landed hard on his side. Jack let out a high pitched whine as he tried to pick himself up, but Mor'du was already standing over him, one clawed paw raised to cut into Jack.

A flash of red fur appeared, and suddenly Hiccup was scrambling all over Mor'du's back, biting and scratching while squeaking furiously. Mor'du roared, dropping onto all fours and trying to shake Hiccup off, but the little guy refused to let go. Hiccup grabbed onto one of the shorter arrows embedded in Mor'du's hide with his teeth, using his paws to secure himself.

Then Jack roared in what seemed to be a desperate warning, but it was too late. Mor'du twisted suddenly, and his jaws clamped around Hiccup's small body, causing the tiny bear to squeak in pain. Mor'du yanked Hiccup off of his back, but Hiccup wouldn't go easily. He took the arrow with him, and Mor'du roared louder than Merida had ever heard as the surprisingly long arrow left behind a deep wound in the bear's shoulder.

Hiccup hit the ground near Jack, and the white-furred bear roared worriedly, rushing to his feet as his red-furred companion remained completely still. Jack nosed Hiccup, but the small bear didn't respond.

Mor'du stalked towards them, raising up onto his back paws as he roared his fury. Jack stood over Hiccup's unmoving form protectively, roaring back just as ferociously.

Two arrows struck Mor'du's shoulder, and Merida drew another, trying to draw his attention away from the boys. Mor'du turned on her and snarled, swiping her bow right out of her hands. Merida gasped as the force of the attack knocked her to the ground. She scrambled back as Mor'du advanced on her, but it did little as the demon bear loomed over her, trapping her between his front paws.

Mor'du roared as he leaned down, ready to bite Merida's head off, and with a feeling of pure terror gripping her heart, Merida screamed, unable to fight back.

Elinor's eyes widened, and rage filled her at the sight of her daughter in danger. Despite the remaining men still holding her binds, Elinor stood and ripped the ropes from her body, roaring in her rage as she charged at Mor'du.

Elinor leaped, and she and Mor'du rolled across the grass in a wrestling match. Elinor snapped at his throat, but her swiped at her muzzle. They stood and faced each other as they bellowed as loud as they could. Mor'du tried to go for Merida a second time, but Elinor got between them, snarling at the larger bear.

The two locked in a stalemate, biting and swiping at each other as they swung back and forth. Mor'du threw Elinor against one of the stones and then pushed her down to the ground, but Elinor shoved him off with her lower legs. Back on their feet, they wrestled and struggled to gain the upper hand, but Mor'du was quickly winning due to his superior strength and size. He grabbed Elinor and threw her against another stone, and she fell to the ground, but her head went up as she heard and crumbling sound above her.

Merida's cry brought her attention back to see Mor'du advancing on Merida and her friends. Merida grabbed a spear that had been dropped on the ground, and leveled it at Mor'du, but it didn't faze the beast in the slightest.

Elinor grabbed Mor'du's back and dragged him away from them, pulling him back towards the stone. Angered, Mor'du turned and lunged at her, but Elinor dove out of the way. Mor'du crashed into the stone, and when he turned around, Elinor was there. The Queen slammed Mor'du against the stone over and over and over again, watching as the crack in the stone grew larger and larger.

Mor'du swiped at Elinor, and he hit her head, sending her flying backwards. She landed on her side just in front of Merida, and the two faced Mor'du together as he slowly stalked towards them, snarling and spitting.

The beast lunged forward, and the broken stone fell on top of him.

A cloud of dust rose from the stone's crash to the ground, and once it cleared they could only see a single paw that stuck out from beneath the stone. From the stone came a soft blue light, just like the Wisps, and it grew until it became a large man dressed in fine clothes. The Fourth Prince looked directly at Merida and Elinor, and nodded to them in a silent thanks, and then, with a flash, his image became a Will of the Wisp that disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Merida looked on in shock, and then looked at her mother. Elinor looked at her as well, exhausted after the fight.

A lightness came to the clearing, and Merida gasped. "The second sunrise!" She whispered as light began to appear beyond the tree tops. Merida ran over to Angus and yanked the tapestry off of his back as the sunlight touched the tops of the stones. She rushed back to her mother and threw the tapestry over her.

Elinor looked at the tapestry, and then up at Merida as the girl took a few steps back, waiting for something to happen. They waited, but the sun continued to rise, and Elinor tried to stay focus, but her mind clouded and as she looked on, her pupils grew large, turning into the black eyes of a bear.

"No... I don't understand, I..." Merida murmured as tears spilled down her cheeks and weeps escaped her throat. She dropped to her knees as her despair overwhelmed her, and she sobbed into her hands as the men and her friends looked on, unsure of what to do. "Mom... I'm sorry." Merida wept. "This is all my fault. I did this to you... To us." The bear reached forward, sniffing Merida's cheeks as her tears continued to fall. Merida shuffled forward, hugging her mother. "You've always been there for me. You've never given up on me. I just want you back." Merida choked on her tears.

The men stood in the clearing, watching on with saddened hearts as they realized what had become of their dear Queen. The King stood in disbelief and agony, he the triplet cubs gathered at his feet. Rapunzel covered her mouth with her hands as tears silently slid down her cheeks, and Jack whined helplessly as he looked between Merida and Hiccup who lay between his front paws.

"I want you back, mommy." Merida whispered, and it seemed cruel that the sun continued to rise, filling the clearing with bright light. "I love you." She breathed, wishing with all her heart that she could have her mother back.

The sunlight continued to spread, washing over the men, her friends, and her mother's back where the tapestry had been lain, but no matter what, Merida wouldn't let go of her mom. She refused to let her go, and so she wept, but held on tightly as the sun rose above the tree tops.

And then a gentle hand smoothed her wild curls, and Merida's eyes widened. She lurched back with a gasp, looking at her mother's face, and there was her human mother, completely back to normal. Elinor let out a weak chuckle, and Merida found her heart was clenched so tight she could barely breathe.

"Mom!" She gasped. "You're back!" She exclaimed, her face stretching into the largest grin, and this time, her mother laughed, pushing Merida's hair out of her face, and then proceeding to kiss her forehead, which was followed by multiple kisses that made Merida laugh happily. When they pulled back to look at each other, Merida smiled. "You Changed."

"Oh, darling." Elinor smiled brightly. "We both have."

"ELINOR!" Fergus cried, running forward he tripped and rolled, but that didn't stop him for a second as he rushed to be with his beloved wife. He wrapped Elinor and Merida up into one big, joyful hug, and then he turned to Elinor, touching their foreheads together lovingly.

Then a growled playfully, dipping Elinor and kissing her deeply. Merida leaned back, feeling a bit awkward, but the moment ended as Fergus brought Elinor back up to sitting. Too happy for words, Merida hugged her father, and then the Lords started to come forward.

"Oh!" Merida said, noticing her mother's lack of clothing beneath the tapestry. "Uh, Mom." Merida pointed a bit down, and Elinor quickly pulled on the tapestry to cover herself even more.

"Um, dear." Elinor addressed Fergus, and he leaned down to her. "I'm naked. Naked as a wee baby." Fergus stared at her for a moment, and then Elinor smacked his shoulder. "Don't just stare at me! Do something!" She muttered, motioning towards the Lords.

"What the -!? Avert your eyes, lads! Show some respect!" Fergus ordered, using his large hands to held shield Elinor's body, and the lords quickly turned around.

The triplets chose then to run through their feet and join the rest of their family, running about completely naked and perfectly happy. They jumped into their parents arms, and Fergus laughed.

"Now that's what I call a wee naked baby!" Fergus chuckled, throwing Hubert up into the air before catching him again.

"Um..." Merida looked up and saw Rapunzel standing there, trying hard not to smile. "I don't mean to interrupt, but none of you would happen to have a few extra cloaks, would you?"

"Oh!" Merida bubbled as she realized why Rapunzel wanted a couple of cloaks, and then Merida found that she couldn't stop the chuckles that flooded from her chest.

"Oh, yeah, laugh it up, Princess!" Jack's voice shouted from across the clearing, and a laugh burst from Merida before she could smother it. Jack stood tall and unashamed behind a bush that covered everything below his waist. His expression was rather annoyed, his bandages for his head had fallen off to reveal his partially-healed cut, and his fists were planted firmly on his hips. "See if I ever eat _your_ cooking ever again!" He shouted, and Merida and Rapunzel couldn't help but burst into giggles.

"Jack, would you sit down!? You're _naked_ for Thor's sake!" Hiccup's choked voice came from behind the bush, and Jack looked down at his side.

"Yeah, so, what's your point? We're both naked!" Jack retorted.

"Don't just shout it out for the whole world to hear!" Hiccup yelped, his head poking up just enough for Merida to see that his deep red blush reached back to the tip of his ears.

It was then that Bunnymund appeared through the treeline, taking in the scene before him with wide-eyes.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" The Pooka looked around in complete confusion. "Where have you all been?! And why is Jack _naked_?!"

"It's not just me!" Jack argued immediately

Before long Bunnymund had gotten enough information to decide that he didn't need to know what happened as long as everything worked out in the end, and then the large group managed to pull up two cloaks for Jack and Hiccup so they wouldn't have to return to Hogwarts completely naked.

While there was still some explaining to do, and plenty of injuries to be seen to, Merida couldn't be bothered to be worried or concerned about any of it. Her friends and family were safe, her betrothal had been canceled, and she had finally mended the bond between her and her mother.


	19. We've Both Changed

_NOTES:_ "We will Run and Scream, you will Dance with me, we'll Fulfill our Dreams, and we'll be Free..."

 **Music:** "Learn Me Right" by Mumford and Sons with Birdy (Brave, 2012 soundtrack.)

**Chapter 19: We've Both Changed**

The morning after the battle with Mor'du, the four were sent straight to the infirmary upon reaching the school. Nurse Eudora helped Merida and Rapunzel to see to their scrapes and bruises while Dr. Sweet made sure Jack's head injury was healing properly and not infected. Jack ended up with another bandage on his head and a bruised shoulder, and Hiccup's waist was wrapped because of the deep teeth marks, but Dr. Sweet was certain all of their injuries would heal quickly and well.

That didn't help Merida's aching conscious, though. She felt horrible for putting her friends in that situation in the first place, and as she and Rapunzel watched Dr. Sweet finish tying off Hiccup's bandages, she made sure to let them all know.

"I'm sorry." Merida said, gaining the attention of Jack, Hiccup, and Rapunzel as Dr. Sweet walked away. "None of you should have ever had to be in that fight. If I hadn't been so selfish, you three wouldn't be in the infirmary right now. I'm a terrible friend, and you three risked your lives to help me, and -And I'm just really happy that I can call you all my friends." Merida blushed and stared down at her fidgeting hands.

Rapunzel placed a comforting hand on Merida's shoulder and smiled warmly. "We're happy to have you, too."

Those were all the words that were needed as Rapunzel gave her a hug, Jack lightly punched her shoulder, and Hiccup gave a smile from where he sat on one of the hospital beds, waiting for Dr. Sweet to come back with the same pain killers he'd given Jack.

"Oh!" Merida started, remembering something important. "I almost forgot." She said, pulling out a long, black arrow with intricate carvings on the sides and the front half of the arrow was tainted red. Merida held it carefully and handed it to Hiccup who accepted it with a look of confusion. "I picked it up before we left the forest. It's the arrow you pulled out of Mor'du's shoulder. Professor Bunnymund says it's old, and, no doubt, comes from the Ancient Kingdom from my mom's legend. I figured you might want it. You could probably learn a lot about the old Kingdom from a single arrow, and anyways; you pulled it out, so it's yours. Warrior Code, dad says."

"Wow!" Rapunzel breathed, her eyes widening with wonder and excitement. "An arrow from a land that doesn't exist! It's incredible, don't you think?" Rapunzel looked side to side to see Merida and Jack's reactions, but they only shrugged as Hiccup started to peer at the arrow from every angle and run his fingers over the detailed carvings.

"I still think he needs to stop jumping on the backs of large ugly creatures during fights." Jack stated, crossing his arms over his chest and nodding at his own words.

After everyone's injuries had been seen to, the four had to explain what had happened during the past two days to King Fergus, the Lords, and Professor North. Fergus and the Lords were shocked by the four's tale, but, of course, the news of their adventures didn't exactly surprise the Professor, seeing as their first two years had sparked equally as dangerous and exciting stories, but he was relieved that everything had been resolved. They did, however, receive a scolding for not seeking the help of the Professors when Elinor was first changed into a bear, and the four were given a few nights detention for minor destruction of school property, staying up past curfew, going into the Forbidden Forest without permission, and turning the Queen of Scotland into a bear.

About a week after the events, when everything was finally finished and starting to feel normal again, the rest of the school had heard of the four's latest adventure, so it wasn't much of a shock when, during breakfast one morning, some of the other students gathered round to hear the story straight from the four.

"You know," Jack said when Merida finished telling the story for what felt like the hundredth time. "Even _I_ never thought we'd take it that far. I mean, we pretty much kidnapped the Queen of Scotland! Granted, she was a bear and we were hiding her from hunters, but still!"

"Jack!" Merida and Rapunzel rebuked him in unison while Hiccup just sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"What? Just saying! You're the one who turned your mom into a bear!" Jack retorted, crossing his arms over his chest and pouting.

"Yeah, next time there's a cake that turns people into bears, maybe give a little warning?" Hiccup suggested, and Merida couldn't help the slight blush that crept across her cheeks as she scratched the back of her head a bit sheepishly.

Before they could continue, though, the owls began flying into the Great Hall, delivering the morning mail. It was hard to miss the great white bird gliding just above the heads of the Gryffindor table, and Jack grinned as he saw his owl, Nix, carrying something in her talons.

The snowy owl dropped the small, red envelope right into Jack's hands, and then swooped around to land on the table between him and Hiccup.

Jack's grin dropped into a terrified frown.

"Look, everyone! Jack's got a Howler!" Flynn Rider exclaimed loudly, drawing the attention of not just those who had gathered to hear the story, but everyone in the Great Hall.  
Jack screamed and threw the envelope onto the table, jumping out of his seat to duck and cower behind Hiccup who looked mildly worried.

"Oh, it can't be that bad, Jack!" Rapunzel said, peering at the menacing red envelope. "Your mother is so sweet and nice. I can't imagine her howling at anyone."

"You have not witnessed her rage!" Jack declared, throwing one arm towards the sky as the other clutched his chest where his heart would be, then he brought the one in the air down to point accusingly at Rapunzel and Merida. "You have not experienced the horrors!"

"Would you just open it already?" Hiccup demanded, pulling on Jack's arm so the white-haired boy would sit back down. "There's no getting around it, so you may as well get it over with."

Jack pouted miserably, but did as he was told and reached for the envelope. With shaking fingers he peeled up the seal that kept it shut, and for a heartbeat everything was silent.

"JACKSON OVERLAND FROST!" And then that silence ended.

Jack dropped the envelope in fright and latched onto Hiccup, wrapping his arms around the brunette's head and shoulders as they both stared at the envelope with wide eyes.

The envelope suddenly folded into a paper mouth, the red ribbon flicking about like a dragon's tongue, and it floated in front of the cowering boys. " _What_ were you thinking!? Hiding the Queen of Scotland in the Forbidden Forest! Going into the Forbidden Forest! Using magic beyond your training, and fighting the Terror of Scotland! YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED! Only half the year has passed and already you've almost gotten yourself killed!" The envelope shrieked, emphasizing each point with a vigorous nod. "If you put another _toe_ out of line, I'll bring you STRAIGHT HOME!"

Having flown right up to Jack's face, making the terrified boy lean back as far as he could without falling out of his seat, the snarling mouth pulled away slightly and turned to Hiccup.

"Oh, and Hiccup, dear, I hope your injuries are healing well. Emma has been so worried about you both." Hiccup blushed lightly, and Jack openly gaped at the letter, that is, until it turned and stuck out it's tongue, spitting tiny pieces of paper at him.

After that, the letter turned on itself, ripping itself to shreds that fell lightly down to the surface of the table where everyone looked at it with shock and mild terror.

"I TOLD YOU SO!" Jack was the first to break that silence.

Of course, his mother's Howler didn't stop Jack and Hiccup for long. After about a week the two were back to their usual jokes and pranks for the rest of the school year. Much to the displeasure of Professor Bunnymund who was already serving a double shift for the second half of that year, teaching both Defense Against the Dark Arts and Substituting for Professor Carver in Potions while the old woman was off on vacation.

"Crazy old hag didn't even tell anyone!" Bunnymund ranted during one class. It was no secret that the older Professor set the Pooka on edge before, but now Merida could understand it a bit better. Ms. Carver's blank expressions were unnerving, and she was highly unpredictable.

The rest of the year, though, went smoothly. Everyone was happy, and it was peaceful. Merida had plenty of free time to spend with her friends, and they took advantage of every second. She could recount several days of her and Rapunzel teaching Jack and Hiccup to ride horses, going to Hogsmeade with the other students, stealing Fergus's favorite carriage, studying, skipping stones down at the lake side. Merida was happier than she'd been in years because now not only did she have her friends, but her mother. Spending time with Elinor had become something to look forward to. A time of bonding and caring that they both cherished after their adventure.

Queen Elinor even came to cheer on Merida during her Quidditch matches, and Gryffindor ranked second in the overall tournament, losing only to Slytherin when Jack ended the game by catching the Snitch.

So that year the Quidditch Cup went to the House of Green and Silver, but Merida wasn't too upset about it. She was ecstatic that her mother had actually come to one of her games, and she was genuinely happy for Jack because she knew he'd been working really hard during Quidditch practice that year.

The House Cup, however, went to Ravenclaw. Not much of a surprise as Merida had all but forgotten about the House Cup that year, let alone tried to earn points, but once again she was simply happy for her friend.

Final Exams came and went, relieving the endless anxiety for a week before it was renewed completely with the arrival of their Report Cards. Merida was pleasantly surprised to find a mix of A's and E's and an O in Divination, announcing that she'd passed all of her classes despite the struggles of that year. Rapunzel passed with mostly O's and a couple of E's. Hiccup had almost all A's, and only one O from Care of Magical Creatures. Jack passed with mostly A's, but there were a few E's and an impressive two O's in Charms and Potions.

With the relief of grades passed and the final days before their departure coming to an end, the four did their best to have as much fun together as they possibly could, but on the second to last day, while her friends were off in their dormitories packing their things for the trip home the next day, Merida joined her family in their rooms.

Merida and Elinor worked on a new tapestry that they had started together earlier that year, and Fergus laughing joyfully as he played with the triplets, chasing them around the room and then tossing them up in the air and catching the on his shoulders and hands.

"Merida, Elinor, hurry up!" King Fergus told them once he had caught all three of the boys, and lead the way out of the rooms.

Standing at the tapestry, Elinor turned at her husbands words and grew excited. "Are they off? Oh, come on! We've got to wave them off!" Elinor exclaimed nudging Merida towards the door.

_Some say our destiny is tied to the land. As much a part of us as we are of it._

Merida laughed as they walked away from the tapestry of her holding the paws of Elinor as a bear, and together the family went down to the docks of the school, the sun shining brightly in the sky and not a cloud to be seen.

_Others say fate is woven together like a cloth, so that one's destiny intertwines with many others._

The entire school gathered by the small port to see the Lords and their men off that day, and Merida didn't really mind the Royal goodbyes that were necessary for the event. Though, they were made more interesting as Jack, Hiccup, and the triplets flew passed on makeshift dog-sleds that they'd made from shields and Fergus's hunting hounds. Rapunzel followed not far behind, trying to contain her laughter as the boys ended up nearly falling off the dock. Merida laughed with her as they shared a bright, laughing look.

_It's the one thing we Search for, or Fight to Change._

Merida straightened up though, barely containing her giggles, as Macintosh came forward and kissed her hand. MacGuffin very shyly gave it a small peck as he blushed almost crimson, and Dingwall... Well, Merida a bit of trouble pulling her arm away, but luckily her mother and Rapunzel were there to help just before the Queen had to go help Fergus break the hug Lord Dingwall was giving him.

_Some never find it._

Once the Lords, their sons, and all their men had launched their ships, setting sail for their homelands, Merida stood on the dock with her mother and her friends, waving goodbye to them. Fergus stood a little bit in front, also waving, but he stopped suddenly as he caught sight of Hamish, Hubert, and Harris waving from the top of the Macintosh sails. Fergus gaped and groaned while Hiccup and Jack snickered quietly, earning sideways glances from Merida, Rapunzel, and even Elinor who shook her head with a knowing smile.

_Some are Born to it._

It didn't take long for Fergus to ready a row boat and set out towards the center ship to get his sons. Rapunzel dragged Jack and Hiccup back towards the castle where they wouldn't be able to cause too much more trouble, smiling as she rolled her eyes at their playful complaining. Merida, however, went to the field where the horses were grazing and called to Angus.

_And there are those who are lead._

She road out to an open space just around a bend in the earth that ran parallel to the Forbidden forest. Some stones stuck out of the earth, creating the perfect point to look out over the glistening water of the ocean in the distance, and from there Merida watched the ships sail away from the school, silently marveling at everything that had happened.

_There are those who say Fate is something beyond our command, that Destiny is not our own._

Hoof-beats alerted her to someone else's presence, and Merida turned to see her mother on the back of a white stallion, her long brown hair loose and flying in the wind. Elinor smiled at her, and Merida smiled mischievously back, and then kicked Angus into a gallop, racing back towards the castle.

_But I know better._

Merida could hear her mother racing along behind her, and soon the Queen passed her altogether. Merida grinned and urged Angus to stay at the white stallions side as she and her mother galloped across the land, the glistening ocean on one side and the deep greens of the forest on the other.

_Our Fate lives within us._

As Merida followed after her mother, heading towards the castle and her friends, she could hear a faint whispering that blew on the wind, carried from the surface of the rocks and the air between the trees. This time it didn't beckon her, though. Didn't call to her. This time it was comforting. It told her that everything was as it should be. She had mended the bond between her and her mother, she and her friends had returned from the adventure alive and safe, and now she could look forward to the days ahead in which she would have her loving mother to support her and her incredible friends to stand beside her forever.

_You only have to be Brave enough to see it._


	20. Epilogue: Be Prepared

**Music:** "Be Prepared" by Jim Cummings (The Lion King)

**Epilogue: Be Prepared**

Endless shouting echoed and bounced off of the stone walls of the cavern, the Nightmare's pranced and stalked back and forth with nervous excitement, and people Gothel really had hoped would be dead moved about the shadowed lair comfortably. As if they never left.

Gothel was glaring down at the cauldron, the image of happy children boarding the bright red train after another successful year at school. Four little brats in particular laughed and smiled as they slowly made their way towards the train station, dragging their trunks behind them.

A monkey shriek made Gothel's scowl deepen, and she rounded on the crowd behind her.

"Would you all shut up!" She snapped, ready to pull out her hair if these imbeciles didn't stop arguing this instant.

"Don't act so high and mighty, Gothel. You're just as lost and angry as the rest of us." A large ape-like creature who wore a cape and crown growled back at her, his hand resting on the hilt of the sword that was attached at his hip as he glared at her from his hunched position.

"The Monkey King is right. He tells you as much as he tells us, which is nothing." A deep, silk-smooth voice came from behind Gothel and the witch rolled her eyes as she turned to face the other woman. "If those children are the Prophecy then why aren't they dead yet?"

"Why don't you ask Pitch? He's the one who brought you all back here, not me!" Gothel hissed at the dark-haired ocean witch who only smirked in response.

Before any more arguing could be done, laughter arose from the dark throne at the head of the room. Deep, uncontrollable laughter that chilled even the dark beings gathered in that cavern to the very bone.

Pitch's laugh echoed around the lair as he rose from his seat, walking down from the dais to approach the cauldron at the center of the room. His gathered men gave him a wide birth, spreading out to avoid the Sorcerer's close proximity.

"Oh, how could I have not noticed this before!" Pitch exclaimed, still chuckling merrily. "It's all so obvious and clear, and yet no one would ever know unless they were told. Oh, what a clever little creature." Pitch cooed, running his middle finger along the edge of the cauldron as he peered at the image inside with an adoring smile.

"My Glorious King," Discord, the dark-haired witch, said passionately, making Gothel's stomach curl. "What is it you are planning? Surly you can tell us something. Or, perhaps, me... As your second, of course."

"I am his second! You are nothing more than simple general!" Gothel snarled, bristling as she realized Discord was still intent on stealing her position in Pitch's Army.

Discord frowned. "A powerful ruler should have a strong second, not some witch obsessed with her youth!"

"I am strong enough to rid this world of you, Sea Crone!" Gothel yowled, drawing her wand as Discord straightened to a fighting position, but both froze immediately at Pitch's words.

"Neither of you are my second." He told them simply, folding his hands behind his back as he walked away from them and the cauldron. Gothel and Discord gaped speechlessly at him.

"Wha -What do you mean?" Gothel gasped incredulously. "A leader must have a second!"

"And I will." Pitch told them, smiling giddily as he let out a bark of laughter. "I am going to take an apprentice. I will train him, and together we will take over this world!"

"An apprentice?" Discord sniffed, looking as sour as Gothel.

"With the distraction from the Scottish Royals, I was able to sneak into Hogwarts castle." Pitch told them, ignoring Discord. "I have read the Prophecy for myself, and I now know why North has kept it hidden away for so long. Here we were, lead to believe that these four would be our downfall, but after all this time I now understand that they will be the key to our glorious return!"

"How can you be sure?" The Monkey King demanded.

"Because..." Pitch's voice was deep and malicious as his fingers reached out, curling upward to call the image from the cauldron, so that the image of the four children would float above it for all to see. "We are going to tear the Guardians apart from the inside out."

The children stood by the train, but one seemed to realize he'd forgotten something in the carriages because he ran back to them... And the image followed him.

"We're going to kill the Guardians, and Jack Frost, too." Pitch declared, his eyes fixed on the boy. "The Fourth belongs to me. The Guardians know it, and will try to stop it, but he belongs to me, and with him by my side, we will end the Guardians and rule this world!"

The shadows cheered, growing excited as they thought about Pitch's plan and heard his certainty towards it.

"Our teeth and ambitions are bared, and the Guardians are hopeless to stop us from taking what is rightfully ours!" Pitch spoke loudly, addressing the army gathered before him as he pointed at the image. "Be Prepared for the chance of a lifetime! Be Prepared for when we are finally strong enough to take down the Guardians! Be Prepared for the coup of the century! Be Prepared!"

Pitch Black laughed hysterically as the image showed a young boy running to a stop beside his friends as they boarded the train. His face was bright and innocent, his forest green eyes shining, and freckles dusting every inch.

The Fourth Child of Prophecy.

* * *

_Jack, Merida, Hiccup, and Rapunzel will return in:_

**Dragons In Shadows**


End file.
